City Fall
by T2 Angel
Summary: Sequel to "Walk Your Path." King and Shriek have escaped from prison and they have a plan: one that will put all of Gotham in danger. Will Batman be able to figure it out in time and stop them or will the villains have their revenge and destroy the Dark Knight once and for all, along with his beloved city? WARNING: Rated T for character death in later chapters.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey, everybody! Welcome to the new chapter story! It's Batman Beyond and we are going to jump right in! So, just you guys can have all of the particulars, here is the breakdown:  
1. This is the sequel to my previous Batman Beyond chapter story, "Walk Your Path." (Exciting right?)  
**

**2. There are lot of references that you will get if you read my last story. Not a ton but it will make this story easier to follow.**

**3. This story does deal with character death, hence the T rating. Other than that, there is just a lot of action. No vulgar or offensive language and even the action isn't that bad but I just don't want anyone blindsided. I made that mistake with a recent fic and I want to make sure that this is clearly stated early.**

**We all clear? Good! Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Batman Beyond. The rights to the show are the property of their respective owners.**

* * *

**Prologue**

He stepped out of prisoner transport and looked around.

Blackgate Prison. Some of the worse criminal offenders in the world were here; vile scum who would never see the light of day again.

This was no place for a king… especially not the King of the Royal Flush Gang. But nevertheless here he was.

King stepped off of the transport and was escorted to his solitary cell. Small place. Barely any room for a person to change their mind. What a place to spend the next fifty years… at least. The very idea of going from being on top of a criminal empire to being no better than common gutter trash was ridiculous but he had no choice. This was his bed and now he had to lie in it.

The first few days were maddening; all he could hear was the noise of the other inmates: either his fellow solitary inmates who were constantly scratching the walls or those in the yard who seemed to fight with each other every day for some reason or another. At night, he didn't need any extra noise to keep him awake; his own hatred did that plenty.

They'd pay. All of them would pay. Especially Batman. But no one more than his former family. All he could think about was how all of them, his entire family, had betrayed him and left him to rot. Those worthless children and that witch of a wife he once had. He would escape. He would have his revenge. No matter how long it took, no matter what it took, all of his enemies would pay. He would make them all pay.

His thoughts were interrupted one night when the prison shook… very violently. King looked around as the slight tremor subsided. It suddenly started again and the whole prison began to shake. It shook violently, almost as if the whole prison was about to be ripped off the foundation. Alarms went off. Guards rushing this way and that. Standing on his bed, King got to his window and see what the commotion was. He couldn't see anything from his view point, though; the extra curse of his small cell. There was a shockwave the ripped through a large portion of the prison. Another loud shockwave was heard outside of his cell. King stepped down off of bed to set himself firmly on the floor as the rattling increased in intensity. The door to his cell, and the adjoining wall, suddenly broke apart. King had to duck down and dodge the resulting debris.

King looked up and saw a man wearing a black jumpsuit with a white apparatus of some kind over his arms and shoulders. And a white helmet.

The former leader of the Royal Flush Gang knew this man, immediately, if only be reputation. He stood to his feet. "Shriek, I believe."

Shriek nodded. "And you're King, right?"

"Indeed."

"Well, your Majesty, I believe you are in need of escape."

"I can't but agree."

They made their exit from the prison, running toward the ocean with Shriek causing destruction and havoc all along the way. The sound villain activated several of his traps along the way, nearly burying or trapping all of the occupants in the prison in rubble. They ran on, King seeing that they were headed to a boat tied to the rocks. Shriek looked back to see more guards approaching; he aimed his gauntlet at them and blew them away. They hurried to the boat to find Shriek's assistant getting ready to cast off.

"Get ready to take off, Ollie," Shriek ordered.

Ollie looked at King. "New friend?"

"Shut up!"

Ollie hurried off to do as he was told. They started to take off away from the prison island. They looked to see a few aerial ships coming in to attack. He fired one more sonic blast and knocked the ships right out of the sky.

After they were destroyed, King smirked. "Your methods are rather… ostentatious."

"You're one to talk," Shriek replied. He looked toward Ollie. "Activate the cloaking and keep heading east."

"You got it," Ollie nodded.

Shriek and King sat below deck. Shriek removed his helmet and nodded at his fellow compatriot.

"I heard you had lost your hearing," King pointed out.

Shriek pointed at his headphones, "I do what I can."

"Indeed. Thank you for the escape."

"Don't mention it."

"But, I must ask, why free me?"

Shriek sat down, "Because I have a plan that might interest you. In fact, I have something _very_ big planned and I need your assistance."

"How big?"

Shriek smiled, devilishly. "The complete and total destruction of Gotham City. That sound big enough for you?"

King paused for a few seconds and considered the scope of what he was just told. "My good man…" he smiled, "that sounds just perfect."

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think? I know it's just a prologue but I want your opinion. Believe me, it's so very much helped me in the past. REVIEWS!**

**Next Chapter: Resurgence**

**The Gotham Knights learn of Shriek and King's escape and the villains begin to make preparations to face their common enemy.**

**See you next time!**


	2. Chapter 1: Resurgence

**A/N: So, yeah, hopefully, I can finish this one much faster than I did "Walk Your Path." Amazing how much you can get done when you stay off Facebook. Did you guys know it has been over a year since I wrote "Walk Your Path"? I didn't until I posted this one. Man, time flies!**

**Anyway, on to the first official chapter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Resurgence**

She hated it when he did this. Every time, he did this. How many times had he been in this position? And how many times had she had to be in this position because he was in this position?

"You should know better!" Max shouted. She was applying ointment to a cut on Terry's left shoulder blade, a result of shrapnel damage from the evening's exploits. "You're supposed to, anyway!"

Terry smiled and looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend. "I love it when you scream random sentences at me like I'm supposed to know what you're talking about."

She swatted his scrape.

"OW!"

"You know what I mean! Every time you go at it with Mad Stan, you always end up like this!"

"It's not my fault he had a extra grenade!"

She stared at him, incredulously. "It's Mad Stan. HE ALWAYS HAS A EXTRA GRENADE!"

"Don't yell at me! I didn't try to blow myself up!"

"You might as well have! Thinking he didn't have an extra grenade…" She put the bandage over his cut. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting against his back. "I'm glad you're okay. Sounds like he was swinging for the fences on this one."

He placed one hand on her arms. "One of his dumber plots. Trying to kill the Mayor right in the middle of the street. I mean… he didn't even try to hide it. Just waltzed right up with a rocket launcher."

"What's with these guys? Don't any of them mellow out after a while?"

"The old man said the Riddler did. Just up and retired one day."

She smirked. "Then there's hope for you, yet."

"Not really. He said Two-Face got worse."

Her face dropped, "Slag." She sighed. "Oh, well…"

He smiled. "But I do have one advantage over the old guy."

"What?"

He stared at her. "You."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his corniness. "Smooth, McGinnis."

"I thought so. Did it work?"

She couldn't deny it. Those eyes and that voice of his always got to her. Even leaving her short of breath. Curse his suave, romantic side. "Slag it, yeah…" She kissed him.

Anytime he was hurt, their talks ended like this. She always planned to keep yelling at him but he always turned the tables on her. She was starting to wonder if he planned it to go this way each time. Whether he did or didn't, she didn't care; it was awesome all the same.

* * *

It had been a little over three months since the Black Tiger Murders and since Terry and Max had gotten together and things were going extremely well, even for a relationship of their nature. They both figured it was because they were best friends first and because Max knew all about Terry long before they became interested in each other romantically. It definitely made a lot of things easier. Something they were both very grateful for.

The following day, on the way to school, the couple was walking together when Chelsea caught up with them.

"Hey, guys," the blonde greeted.

"Hey, Chels," Terry greeted.

"Hey, girl," Max waved.

"You guys remember that sound guy who said he'd, like, blow up Gotham if the city didn't hand over Batman?" Chelsea asked.

Terry hid it but his mind focused on one name, '_Shriek…_'

"Yeah," Max replied. "What about him?"

"They said he broke out of Blackgate last night."

Terry looked surprised. "What happened?"

"They said there was some kind of earthquake and he got out."

"Anyone else escape?"

"It was a large breakout attempt but they caught most everyone else."

"Most?"

"Yeah. It was just some other guy they had in solitary named Rupert Walker."

Max didn't know the name… but Terry did.

Rupert Walker.

King.

Of the Royal Flush Gang.

Two supervillains that hated his guts. And they weren't in prison anymore.

"They… escaped together?" Terry asked.

"That's what the police think," Chelsea said. "So far, they think that Shriek broke himself out then went for the other guy. They don't know anything more than that."

'_Great…_' he groaned, quietly. '_This couldn't possibly spell huge trouble for him anytime soon._' He just shook his head because he knew better. He was nowhere near that lucky.

* * *

After his last class of the day, Terry was in the hallway waiting for Max. He took the time to get on the phone and call his mentor. The second Bruce answered, Terry didn't even bother with any pleasantries. "Did you hear?"

"_Just found out this morning,_" Bruce replied.

"Why didn't you call me when you found out?"

The first Batman paused for a second. "_I thought you'd watch the news. Silly me._"

Terry could hear the sarcasm radiating off of his mentor's words. He ignored it. "How'd they do it?"

"_Somehow, Shriek got ahold of his equipment and he broke out that way. It was probably that assistant of his._"

The teen walked around in a frustrated circle, "Got his equipment? What the heck?! Even if that weird guy is hard to keep track of, how'd he even get in to Blackgate? Don't they check on people in solitary?"

"_Not with automated food dispensing. He created a feedback loop on the cameras that had everyone fooled. Ironically, Shriek hadn't made a… peep in weeks._"

Terry rolled his eyes, glad Bruce couldn't see him. "If that was you trying to be funny…"

"_Better than anything you ever come up with._"

"Not even gonna argue that with you. What do we do?"

"_Prepare for the worse._"

"And hope for the best?"

"_Sure, why not?_"

Coming from Bruce, that was never convincing. What was worse is that Terry could almost see his sarcastic smirk. He was getting to know Bruce all too well… and that terrified him to no end. "Do we even have any idea what they're up to?"

"_Well, considering Blackgate's new location is only about eight hours drive from here and they haven't shown up yet? No._"

"Should we go after them?"

"_Without a location? Pointless. Besides, we can't leave this city unprotected to chase them right now._"

"Ya got a point there." He paused. "I guess I better be ready for a fight…"

"_Always be ready._"

Terry sighed. "And how."

"_I'll keep checking for any news on their location. I'll let you know when I have something._"

"Right." He hung up. He turned around to find Max standing behind him.

"Something bad?" Max asked.

"Yeah. The other man who escaped with Shriek was King from the Royal Flush Gang."

She didn't him to explain further that was bad. She exhaled, "Oh, boy…"

"Yep."

"So, what now?"

He shrugged. "Nothing really to do until they make a move."

"Any idea on what that will be?"

"Nope. No reason to even think that they're helping each other."

She looked him over. His body language was sending out a signal. "But… you do."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

He stood still for a second, searching for a reason but he couldn't find one. "Dunno. Call it a feeling." They started walking, heading out of the school.

She reached down and took hold of his hand, putting a firm grip on it. "Let me ask you something: when was the last time you had a feeling like this?"

He flinched. "Do you want an honest answer?"

"I prefer those, yeah."

He sighed. "…when the Joker showed back up…"

She took another deep breath, "Slag…"

"I wish I could explain it but… I just feel like something's coming… something big." He stared straight ahead, his gaze going cold. "Something bad."

She noticed he had the look in his eyes. It frightened her a little. "Baby… you're starting to scare me…"

He looked at her. "Believe me…" His voice slipped into his Batman tone, "_I'm_ starting to scare me."

* * *

Two days later, King and Shriek arrived in London, heading directly for the shipping ports. They were dressed in civilian clothes, making themselves as inconspicuous as possible as they searched for the man they needed to make their plan of revenge a reality. They were near a secluded dock and found the man. He was surrounded by his gang, having just secured a big score. They were all drinking and toasting one another on outsmarting the authorities.

"I dare say this is our man," King pointed out.

"Yeah," Shriek put on one of sound gauntlets. "Bit premature to celebrate."

"Considering their about to lose what they just won." He removed his sword from under his coat. "Shall we begin?"

Shriek put on his helmet. "Let's."

They walked forward and the gang looked up to see the Gotham criminals staring at them. Before any of them could say anything, Shriek fired a sound wave at group, causing most of them to go sailing through the air. He conveniently missed the man he and King needed but he fired another sound wave, causing another group of criminals to go careening into the water. After the brief mayhem, King walked forward and stared at those who were still on the dock.

"Do we have your attention now?" King asked.

They all nodded very quickly.

"Is there any question who is in charge?"

Again, unanimous agreement; they belonged to King and Shriek.

"Splendid! Now, then…" He walked closer. "Where is… Mr. Cory Blackwell?"

Blackwell eased himself from where he had been hiding and stepped forward with his hands raised. He knew these two criminals by reputation and the last thing he wanted to do was anger them. He was a thief but he wanted to be a breathing thief. "What… whatever you want… ju-just take it. It's yours."

"Oh, we plan to," Shriek said as he walked up. "Just nothing you stole. But it's what you're gonna steal and move for us."

"What do you mean?"

"He means to say, Mr. Blackwell," King said, "that we have need of your services."

* * *

**A/N: So, question: what did you guys think of the real name I gave King? They never supplied it in the show so I just made one up. Rupert just sounded right to me. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Reviews!  
**

**Next Chapter: The Wheels of Revenge**

**What are Shriek and King up to? And can the Gotham Knights figure it out? And who else is after the two criminals?**


	3. Chapter 2: The Wheels of Revenge

**A/N: And today, I have broken a record! Brand new story and already three chapters deep! Well, two chapters and the prologue. All within a 24-hour time frame! Can I go for four? I don't know. But I still have some time. Let's see what happens. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Wheels of Revenge**

Having the rest of Cory Blackwell's crew rounded up on their freight ship for the time being, King and Shriek sat Cory Blackwell down on a crate, King having his sword right underneath the man's chin. They needed to have a chat to elaborate on their plan.

"Wh… what do you want?" Blackwell asked.

King stepped forward. "Your services. As I said."

"With that?"

Shriek entered the conversation. "You're known for stealing and moving some very large, very heavy equipment, quickly. With everything from entire shipments of automobiles to a couple of government airships. You use this common looking freight ship to cover up your exploits and transport you wears."

Cory nodded, "Yes."

"Not bad, actually. So, you're going to help us steal some very large equipment from your government then you're going to help us get it to Gotham then… you're going to help us set it up so Batman won't notice it."

Blackwell's eyes went wide at the outrageous plan. "Th-that kind of thing will be nearly impossible to pull off! I mean… without Batman finding out?! That guy is everywhere! It's impossible!"

"Oh, it'll be possible."

"Or…" King pressed blade harder. "…we will have no use for you."

Blackwell swallowed… but agreed. "And… what exactly am I stealing?"

"You wouldn't understand it if I told you," Shriek explained. "You just need to know that it's very heavy. Like… as heavy as a couple of semis. But shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Blackwell nodded. He thought about it. "Will it fit on my boat?"

Shriek looked at the ship. "Yeah, it'll fit, easy."

The thief shrugged, "Then, getting it to Gotham shouldn't be hard. Even with it being as heavy as you say, moving shouldn't be hard either. B-but how am I avoiding Batman?"

"You leave that to us."

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Terry had heard that King and Shriek had escaped and he expected war to erupt at any time. In the meantime, business in Gotham went on as usual. But, as Terry was walking out of Hill High, Bruce called him.

"Yeah?" the teen answered.

"_You're going to get mad,_" Bruce said, not wasting time.

"You're calling. That's a given."

"_Shriek was spotted in London._"

That was perplexing. "Doing what?"

"_He and King contacted a man about working with them. And by contact, I mean threatened within an inch of his life._"

"Sounds like their style."

"_I got the man's name... and you're not going to like where this leads._"

"What do you mean?"

"_The man is known for smuggling: people, weapons, what have you. His specialty is stealing high end machinery, particularly of a heavy weight. It's what he became known for since he could figure out how to steal that kind of thing quickly._" Bruce paused. "_His name is Cory Blackwell._"

Terry stopped. Blackwell. The Black Tiger Killings. Tai Ji. "Slag…"

"_My thoughts exactly._"

"Wait a minute. I thought Tai Ji got all the ones who did illegal stuff."

"_He did but never caught this Blackwell. Reports said he hunted Cory for months before losing his trail somewhere in Rome. Cory Blackwell is good at evading getting caught. Tai Ji abandoned that hunt and went after the rest of the family. Probably figuring he'd get Cory eventually._"

"Until he found way to corner the old board members."

"_Priorities. Cory was a black sheep even among his family._"

Considering what Terry knew about the Blackwells, that was saying something. "Wow. This guy must terrible."

"_To say the least._"

Terry groaned. "So, what now?"

"_We have to be ready for when they come back to Gotham. And you know they are heading here._"

"Oh, yeah. And it won't be pretty."

"_No._" Bruce sat back. "_It'll be a nightmare._"

* * *

Tai Ji sat in his cell, as always, caring not whether he lived or died. He learned that his enemies had been taken into custody and were receiving their justice as well. He didn't need to preoccupy his time with how he arrived at this place in his life. He knew exactly how he got there and had already long since accepted it. Despite his surroundings, he is at peace.

Suddenly, the most expected event occurred: the lock to his cell opened.

Tai Ji looked up, curiously. No one ever visited him. Not even his guards came in. He was deemed far too dangerous to risk personal contact with anyone.

The door opened up and a man stepped in. He was wearing a black suit with a light purple shirt underneath.

"Tenzin Hunter," the man said.

"Who are you?" Tai Ji asked.

"My name is Agent James Bennett with the NSA. And I have a job for you."

* * *

Terry sat in the Batcave, playing with Ace, while Bruce looked for any information on the two convicts. Bruce sat back with a groan. Never a good sign.

"Anything?" Terry asked as he approached.

"Not a thing. After finding Blackwell, they disappeared again."

"Any thefts?"

"A couple that match Blackwell's specialty but nothing that would seem to hold their interest."

"So, we have no way to track them?"

The elder hero paused for a few seconds. "Track them? But we may have _one_ way to know what they are up to."

Terry looked at him, suspiciously. "And that is…"

"Shriek has no connections. No family. But King does." Bruce gave him a knowing look.

And Terry realized what he meant. Melanie Walker, the former Ten of the Royal Flush Gang. Of course, her former status of Terry's girlfriend, albeit briefly, was cause for immediate worry and panic. "Oh, no! No way! I'm not talking her!"

"You have to."

"She doesn't even know anything."

"You don't know that."

"She didn't the last time!"

"Something may have changed. King is staying under the radar. And we can't get you to talk to Queen, just yet. So… that leaves us with only one option left."

Unfortunately and as usual, Bruce was right. Terry knew it but he just really, really didn't want to. He looked at the old man and just figured out that the sly elder hero may be having some at his expense.

Terry narrowed his eyes at Bruce. "You know this will start a fight with Max, right?"

Bruce smiled. "Will it, now?"

Terry couldn't believe it. Bruce was enjoying this! He groaned. "You can be a real pain, sometimes."

"Said the pot to the kettle."

"The what to the what?"

Bruce chuckled. "Kids…"

Terry ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, this is not good…"

"Just choose your words carefully and…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Bruce. But, as you have mentioned so many times before, I am not going to take any advice from you on how to talk to a girlfriend… especially about an _ex_-girlfriend."

Bruce stared at him, then shrugged. "Good point. Good luck."

"Yeah… I'm gonna need it."

* * *

An hour later, a very uncomfortable Terry sat on Max's couch, having just told her that he had to go see Melanie to ask about her father. Knowing the full history between those two, Max was, needless to say, less than pleased.

The computer genius was pacing, with her arms folded. "So… you're going to go see her."

"I'll be in and out," Terry replied.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

He caught why she was looking at him like that. He did what he could to not blush but he probably was, anyway, for all he knew. "NOT EVEN WHAT I MEANT!"

"Fine. So, you're going to see her now?"

He shrugged.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Go on, then."

"Oh, wait!" He jumped out of his seat, letting out a mock laugh, "Ha-ha! Oh, no! Not falling for that one! I know that girl code! 'Go on, then.' If I would've rushed outta here, I'd come back to my stuff on fire!"

She smirked. "You are learning." She took a resigned breath. "Alright, so, you have to know about what daddy dearest is up to."

"That is all, I swear."

"And what does the old man have to say about this?"

"I bet he's just waiting for me to report back this fight."

"It's not a fight because I'm not mad."

"You're not happy, either."

"Well, duh." She turned serious. "I just… I dunno. I guess I'm just a little worried that you're gonna around an ex-girlfriend you felt that strongly for."

He could see why she would feel that way. And he understood. "Nothing's gonna happen, Max. I promise."

Terry never broke a promise to her. That was another quality he had that always made him worth it. She sat down on the couch and he sat back down, next to her. "Alright… alright, alright." She looked at him. "You promise this is all business?"

"Cross my heart."

"If you're lying… or if something _does_ happen, I _will_ kill you."

"Don't worry. I believe you."

She smiled. "It's good to know that I can make Batman sweat."

Terry groaned. "Good for you, maybe."

"Who else matters?" She giggled. "Go. Go see her and see what you can find out."

"Okay," Terry breathed a sigh of relief. Max actually wasn't going to hit him. "God! This is the weirdest conversation we've ever had."

She smirked and thought about it. "Top ten, maybe. But I'll bet we'll have one that will top it."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, gee… something to look forward to."

"It is for me." She threw a devious smile his way.

Terry threw his hands up in defeat. '_I have no say with anyone in my life!_'

* * *

Batman arrived at the apartment of Melanie and Jack Walker; small place but for the two of them that was all they needed. He looked through the window and saw them both sitting on their couch, watching television. He tapped on the window, surprising them both. Jack was less than pleased.

Melanie opened the window, "How do you…"

"I already know where you work," Batman interrupted.

"Did you follow…"

"Didn't need to." He entered the apartment.

"Ever heard of respecting the privacy of citizens?" Jack asked.

"Sure. I just need to ask some questions and I'm gone."

"Like what?" the former Ten asked.

"Have you heard from your father?"

They both looked really uncomfortable at that subject.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"It wasn't recently," Melanie explained. "We got in contact with him some time after you caught him the last time."

"So, what happened?"

Melanie looked terribly downtrodden at that. "He was himself. That's what happened."

Jack scratched the back of his head, "Look, we tried the whole… 'let's put the hatred aside and be a family' thing but he wouldn't go for it."

"He said that when he got out… we'd regret it." Melanie sighed and rubbed her arm, "We've been terrified since we heard about the breakout."

Batman could tell by her body language: she was telling the truth.

"I know you don't have any reason to believe us, Bats," Jack spoke up, "but we don't want anything to do with him anymore. We just… wanna be left alone. I'm, personally, tired of always being in jail."

They were sincere, the Dark Knight could see that. They were just trying to live now. They wanted to just be. He nodded. "I can understand that. I'll do what I can to make sure that you are." He hopped on to the window. He looked back at them, "Sorry I bothered you. Take care."

"Batman?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you… ever see Terry McGinnis?"

"A lot of people in Gotham, Melanie. Don't really have a lot of time to check up on a high school kid for no reason." He amazed himself at how quickly he came up with the response. It also amazed him how he now could keep his feelings as Terry and Batman completely separate. Then again, he didn't feel as strong for Melanie as he once did, anymore.

"I understand."

He turned and looked at the children of the villain. "Just watch yourselves, you two. Gotham may be a little bit more dangerous for a while. Try to take different routes home and try to not to go out too much. If you hear anything about him, you might wanna get out of town for a while. Just to be safe."

Jack nodded. "Thanks for the heads up."

Batman nodded then took off into the night.

* * *

King and Shriek looked on as Blackwell and his crew finished loading up the last of the equipment on to a freight ship. The thief member of the corrupt family approached the Gotham villains. "Alright," Cory said. "We're ready to go."

"Very good," King said.

"Then, it's time to go home," Shriek said. He smiled. "One last time…"

* * *

**A/N: Bennett? Tai Ji? Oh, yeah, now, we're getting in deep! Oh, and for those who don't know, Tai Ji is my OC from "Walk Your Path." He has a violent history with the Blackwell family. That's the quick sum up of that. But now, the villains are headed back to Gotham.**

**Who's ready for some combat?**

**Next Chapter: Old Dogs, Old Grudges**

**King and Shriek are back in Gotham! And it's time for them to get reacquainted with the Dark Knight.**

**Don't miss it!**


	4. Chapter 3: Old Dogs, Old Grudges

**A/N: 4 CHAPTERS IN UNDER 24 HOURS! (Well... One Prologue and Three Chapters but whatever.) RECORD BROKEN! WOOHOO! Enjoy Chapter 3!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Old Dogs, Old Grudges**

Another three weeks went by and the Gotham knights stood ever watchful for the reemergence from Shriek and King but there had been no sign of them since they were in England.

Until tonight.

Batman was on patrol, nearing the Green Machinery complex when a silent alarm from inside one of their older buildings went off. He steered the Batmobile toward the disturbance. He hovered the car above the building, exited, and went inside. He stalked around for a minute, making almost no sound at all. He walked into a large machine room, where derelict machines were gathering dust. He took a few more steps…

A wave of sound concussion hit him like a semi-truck, sending the hero flying into a wall. He landed with a grunt when he hit the floor. He pushed himself up to his knees.

"You're quiet, Batman," Shriek said. "But nowhere near quiet enough."

Batman looked up to see his two enemies staring at him. "Shriek and King…" He got to his feet. "You guys actually _are_ working together."

"Is that a surprise?" Shriek asked.

"A little. You both took your time."

"Revenge is best planned, carefully," King declared. "It's all about waiting for the right moment to strike, Batman."

"Revenge? What have I ever done to you two?" he asked, sarcastically. "Oh, that's right!" He pointed at each villain, respectively, "You lost your hearing and you lost your family." He paused. "How is that my fault again?"

Shriek scoffed. "Let me show you…" He unleashed another sound wave.

Batman dodged the concussive blast and threw a batarang at the King, who deflected the projectile with his sword. He hopped on his playing card hover board and flew toward the Dark Knight. Batman took off for the ceiling and just barely dodged King swinging for his wings. The sudden change in direction caused him to land on generator. He rubbed his head and moved out of the way of King's sword as it was coming for his neck. He kicked the Royal Flush gang patriarch and got into a battle stance. The two locked horns just liked old times. The difference was Batman was slightly more experienced than the last time and he was starting to get the upper hand. He was about to land a solid punch on King's jaw when Shriek intervened, blasting the Dark Knight with another sound wave. The blast sent Batman falling off the top of the generator; he used a cable hook to keep himself from hitting the floor too hard and breaking something severely. He landed on the ground and looked up to see Shriek on a catwalk, aiming for him again. Batman threw two Batarangs, both caught Shriek off guard and forcing him to duck. The distraction was enough for Batman to take cover and come up with a battle plan.

"This is so much easier where's only one of them," Batman said.

"_Welcome to my hard knocks of the Batman life,_" Bruce replied.

"I wasn't talking to you!" He jumped and made it to the catwalk. He charged at Shriek and kicked him in the helmet. "Do you ever not wanna kill me?"

Shriek laughed. "I would say when I'm asleep… but then I just dream about you dying."

Batman smirked. "Do your dreams have audio?"

Shriek stared at him in hatred. "You little…!" He fired a sonic wave at him.

Batman latched on to the side of another piece of machinery with magnets. "Yep. Still a touchy subject."

He dodged another blast and landed on top of the machine. Unfortunately, he missed cut loose a large piece of machinery from several cables, where it had been hanging. It flew toward the Dark Knight, knocking him against a far wall before sending him crashing to the ground.

"Ow…" Terry groaned.

King hovered over to Shriek, "You think that's enough?"

"More than." Shriek opened a panel on his suit gauntlet. He turned a dial and the building started to shake. "I think it's time we got outta here."

"I couldn't agree more."

Batman started to get up, grabbing hold of his head. He felt the rumbling and looked around as he could see various cracks appearing in the structure.

"Wish we could stay, Batman," King shouted, getting the Dark Knight's attention. "But, we can see that you are otherwise preoccupied with trying to escape a collapsing building. Good evening to you." They escaped through the roof on King's playing card.

Batman looked around just as debris threatened to crush him. He barely dodged a few steel girders in time. He threw himself underneath some fallen but yet secure debris and hid there while the rest of the building he collapsed around him.

* * *

The villains watched as the building collapsed on to itself. A very good result, indeed.

King chuckled. "It seems your experiment is a success."

"Very much so." Shriek smiled. "Time to get ready for the next phase."

"The whole city?"

"Eventually but that wasn't what I was talking about."

"Oh? Then what?"

"I'm not that selfish, King. We handled our collective business. Time for us to deal with yours."

King smiled. "Very good."

* * *

After waiting for the building to finish collapsing, Batman started working on freeing himself from the rubble. Using a collection of carefully placed charges and his own strength, he emerged from the wreckage, grabbing his head. He slowly stepped away, found a distant wall to fall against, and exhaled. "Every time…" He punched the air in frustration, "every SINGLE time I fight Shriek, a building falls on my head!"

"_Anything broken?_" Bruce asked over the comlink.

"Haven't you asked me that before?"

"_Surprised you remember._"

"More surprised that you do."

"_Well?_"

Terry let out a grunt. "I'm fine. In pain… but I'm fine."

"_Good._"

"Well, at least, we know they're working together."

"_True but we can also confirm something else._"

"And that is?"

"_You do realize that was a test, right?_"

"What do you mean?"

"_They didn't take anything. They set off an alarm in an abandoned, cordoned off building, went through all the trouble of breaking in but didn't take anything._"

Terry groaned. "Why can't anything be simple?"

"_Because you're Batman. It's not supposed to be._"

"You would be the expert on that." He sighed. "Why were they testing me?"

"_If you hadn't improved at all? Easier to kill you. No improvement means they would know what to expect. You would've been dead in minutes._"

Terry slumped his shoulders. "You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" He heard sirens approaching and he started to make his exit.

Bruce groaned.

Batman flew off for the Batmobile. "Alright, so, what are they after? Revenge?"

"_More than likely. They jumped you then threw a building at you._"

The teen made it his mode of transportation and sat down inside, activating his video monitor. "Shriek always does that. I'm starting to think it's just his M.O." McGinnis rubbed the back of his neck, "Speaking of which, how did he do that? His sound generators aren't that strong and I didn't see him aim anything at the building."

"_He could've replicated that experiment he pulled off before._"

"He doesn't have a tuning fork tower."

"_Might not need one this time. He does have Cory Blackwell._"

"Then we need to find him… or them. Fast."

"_Agreed._"

Terry sighed and sat back. "Sure wish I had some backup on this."

Bruce gave him a hard stare. "_You're not asking Max._"

Terry went eyed and looked at his mentor, "Oh, will you give me a break?! Like I don't know that!"

"_I'm not so sure. She's your girlfriend now. She might have certain… methods of persuasion._"

"I have those on her," the teen smirked. "I'm just saying I might need some help here. I got two supervillains after my head."

"_I'm sure you can take them on your own._"

"Says the guy who once had a team." He hit the ignition and started guiding it through the city, looking for any sign of his enemies or any other trouble. "Tell me, how many times did Dick Grayson have to come save you?"

"_As Robin or Nightwing?_"

"My point exactly."

Bruce scoffed. "_It's not as though I am completely against assistance…_"

"I'm going to let that slide so you can finish your point."

"_But we can't always run for allies to join you in a fight when it gets tough._"

"Maybe. But this is different. King and Shriek aren't exactly two people who like me. In fact… they hate me. I mean… they _really_ hate me."

"_Point. But, if worse comes to worse, I'll see what I can do about getting some backup._"

Terry smirked. "I'm sure Grayson would answer if you just called… after he recovered from passing out at your number showing up on his phone."

Bruce growled.

"Alright, alright," Terry said, defensively. "But thanks for even considering it."

Bruce gave him a nod. "_With that in mind, you should know that our least favorite NSA lackey was in to see Commissioner Gordon earlier._"

"Bennett?"

"_Mmhmm._"

"Why?"

"_She said you had to hear it to believe it._"

"Where is he?"

"_Making himself as obvious as possible so we can find him. He's at the Gotham Park Towers._"

Terry had to hold back the laughter. "Alright, then." He steered the Batmobile toward the hotel. "Let's find out what he wants."

* * *

Batman arrived at the hotel and didn't even bother to sneak up on Bennett. He knew there was no point. He landed before him, "Bennett."

"Batman," the NSA agent greeted.

"Not off chasing Zeta?"

Bennett's twitched slightly, "That assignment has been… temporarily suspended."

Batman quickly smiled. "You got kicked off the case, didn't you?"

"We have far more important matters at hand, Batman."

The hero held his grin. "That's a yes."

Bennett groaned.

"So, what do you want?"

Bennett started to pace. "I need to speak with you about Cory Blackwell. We've been trying to hunt him down for years but his crew is good."

"And Shriek and King beat you to him?"

"They're criminals. They didn't have to wait for warrants or higher ups to give a go-ahead."

"Alright, then. So, what?"

"We believe that Blackwell assisted your little pals in stealing something vital."

"Oh, wait, don't tell me: I know this part. You can't tell me what it is."

"No. We just need to find him and bring him in. We'll take it from there."

"Because you've done such an amazing job so far?"

Bennett just stared at him.

"The hatred stare doesn't work. Exactly, why am I here?"

"Because you know this city and how to catch criminals in it. And because I brought someone who knows more about the Blackwells than anyone. And, also, because you're one of the few people he trusts." He motioned by him, and, much to the Dark Knight's surprise, Tai Ji approached, surrounded by other agents and chained at his ankles and wrists but he showed no signs of discomfort.

Batman's eyes went wide. "Tai Ji…"

"Hello, Batman," the Black Tiger killer greeted. "It's good to see you."

Batman stepped back, starting to ready himself.

"Be calm." He held up his shackled wrists. "Clearly… I am of no threat to you."

"I've seen you do a lot, Tai Ji. Those handcuffs don't really comfort me."

"But who I am should."

Batman stared at him for a while. He remembered their last meeting and how much respect Tai Ji showed for him. He did have more honor than most Batman had met. "Okay, I'll give it you." The Dark Knight folded his arms. "So… what's going on?"

Tai Ji stared to pace, his guards on high alert. "Why do you think they sought out one of my enemies? Because he can give them something they want."

"And that is?"

"The ability to move heavy machinery. Clearly, they have a plan and they needed Blackwell to help them complete it."

"Alright, so what's the target?"

Tai Ji motioned toward Bennett, "He won't tell me but I'm guessing it's already gone. He asked me their methods and I explained what I could but without knowing the item or its dimensions… I can only be so useful."

"So, why are you here, then?"

"We believe Mr. Hunter here can help with the search and capture of Blackwell," Bennett explained. "Even finding your two little pals."

Batman appreciate that help but he still needed to know, "But… what did they steal?"

"That's not for you to know, Batman. I just need you and this one," He pointed at Tai Ji, "to find Blackwell and your adversaries. I need them all alive."

Batman stared at the agent like he was insane. "So… you want, and forgive me, Tai Ji, one psychopath to hunt down two? In addition, look for a well-known to get back something that you won't tell me what it is?" He paused. "Wow. Some plan there."

"You have a better idea?"

"Yes. It's called 'finding them without someone else I also put in jail.'" Batman looked at the captured criminal. "Again, no offense…" his voice became cold, "…but I have some trust issues with people say I should trust them after I've gotten them arrested." He thought about his former best Charlie Bigelow, "Got some experience there."

Tai Ji bowed in respect.

Batman looked at Bennett, "Thanks for the offer but I know how to do things on my own."

Bennett didn't like that answer but he wasn't all that surprised, either. "We're gonna find them… with or without you," he assured.

The hero smiled. "Didn't you say the same thing about Zeta?" He took off before Bennett could reply.

Tai Ji looked at his handler. "Who is Zeta?"

He looked at the criminal and walked away, visibly angry. Tai Ji just smiled and looked up at the night's sky.

* * *

A little while later, Terry walked back in the cave and looked at his mentor. "Think they're right?"

Bruce was still typing on the computer. "Maybe. If we can't find them, soon, we won't have a choice."

"What about whatever they stole Bennett mentioned?"

"I have no idea. There aren't reports of any thefts that match anything of Blackwell's area of expertise. Must be something the NSA doesn't want anyone to know about, which means it's something that the public shouldn't know about. But, if this is all connected, we'll find out in time."

Terry sighed, "Yeah, probably, but…" He stopped when a thought came to his mind.

"What is it?"

"If these two are getting back at me… what's to stop them at getting back at other people?"

The first Batman looked at his protégé. "You mean the rest of Royal Flush gang?"

"Queen's in jail…"

"Ten and Jack aren't."

"And I already know where they are…" Terry ran for the Batmobile.

* * *

Melanie and Jack were walking home from work at the restaurant, their shift just finishing a little while ago. They had heard the news report that King and Shriek were spotted in town and had plans to try and get out of town before their homicidal father tracked them down.

A wave of sound blew apart the ground just before them. Another wave cut off any chance they had to retreat. They both cowered on the ground and looked up when they heard something above them… hovering.

They looked up to see their father, just overhead.

"Well, it isn't my wayward children." King aimed his sword at them.

They looked to see further down the alley to see Shriek with his gauntlets pointed toward them.

"Why don't you come give your father a hug?"

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh.  
**

**Next Chapter: The Enemy of My Enemy**

**King has kidnapped his children! And he's got Queen, as well! Batman has to find them and save them... and Tai Ji is his only help.**

**Don't miss this!**


	5. Chapter 4: The Enemy of My Enemy

**Chapter 4: The Enemy of My Enemy**

Batman arrived at an alleyway just down the street from the restaurant from where Melanie and Jack worked. But he could already tell he arrived too late. He saw a large hole left in the street and recognized the destruction as being caused by Shriek.

"Slag…" he groaned. He opened his comlink. "He already got 'em."

"_And there was an incident at Stryker's Island an hour ago,_" Bruce informed. "_Reports of a violent shake and her cell being ripped apart. Queen was abducted from her cell. The guards saw Shriek take her._"

"Slag it!"

Bruce paused for a second as he considered a course of action. He came up with one and he knew it was one he knew Terry wouldn't like; quite frankly, he didn't either but they had no choice. "_Desperate times. Call Bennett._"

"We can't trust Tai Ji."

"_You don't know that. And we don't have choice._"

"Why?"

"_Tai Ji knows the Blackwells movements better than anyone. King and Shriek have to be somewhere._"

"And we can't just look ourselves?"

"_You said you wanted help._"

"I can't believe you're picking _now_ to listen to me!"

"_Call him._"

Batman groaned.

* * *

Batman went back to Bennett's hotel and found him, his goons, and Tai Ji standing on the roof already.

Batman landed, "Look… I don't like this but I need the help."

"Works for me," Bennett agreed. "We'll send a few agents to accompany…"

"This can only work if I go with Batman, alone," Tai Ji spoke up.

Both the hero and the agent looked at him unsure.

"What are you talking about?" Batman asked.

"We can only approach this with minimal personnel," Tai Ji explained. "Cory Blackwell stayed under the radar so well because he was able to see the authorities coming a mile away. It made him harder to track because his other pursuers were constantly in my way."

Bennett considered this for a second. No matter how much he didn't like it, it made sense. "So…" he said. "…you'll go with Batman?"

The former killer nodded, "And he can bring me right back."

Bennett nodded, "Alright then."

"Uhh… no," Batman said.

"_Terry,_" Bruce warned in his com.

Terry groaned. "Look… fine. Just… how should I watch you?"

Bennett walked up to him, holding a small remote control. "This controls his ankle monitor. Press it and it will shock him into temporary paralysis." He looked at Black Tiger killer then back at Batman, "For how long, I don't know."

Tai Ji smiled.

Batman looked at him, suspiciously. "Yeah… have you tried it?"

Bennett shook his head.

"Not comfortable with this plan…" He took the controller. "But I guess I don't have a choice."

"_Not really,_" Bruce told him.

Terry bit back a reply, instead looking at his temporary compatriots. "Let's get this show on the road."

Tai Ji nodded. Bennett directed his agents unshackle the killer. Once he unchained, Tai Ji rubbed his wrists and stared at the Dark Knight.

"So… what's the plan?"

"We go to where these fools are most likely hiding," Tai Ji answered.

"Which is?"

"Any port near water. Preferably one that is secluded and large enough to hold a freight ship. It was how they always moved things so easily. After all… who suspects a commercial freight ship of being involved of illegal activity?"

Batman figured that Bruce heard that and he started searching each one for any reports of suspicious activity. Meanwhile, Terry already suspected a few they could go check out. He sighed. "Come on…" He motioned to Tai Ji. "Let's get going."

Tai Ji bowed and presented the way forward, "After you."

"Oh, just come on!" He put Tai Ji's arm over his shoulder, expanded his wings and they glided off into the night.

* * *

After getting to the Batmobile, they sped off for the pier section of Gotham. Terry was nervous about having Tai Ji in the car but Bruce, again, assured him that he was watching and would act should anything happen.

Tai Ji looked at small quarters of the cockpit, "Not very comfortable. I'll have to assume you don't entertain much in here."

Batman groaned. "Not really, no." Though the number of times Max had been in the Batmobile came to mind.

"It's no wonder you don't like the idea of my help. You have no room to consider it."

"You do know that I only want you to help me find them, right?"

Tai Ji chuckled. "Oh, come, now, Batman. We both know I am more than capable of handling myself in battle."

"I'm not questioning that."

The killer smiled. "So, then… you're questioning me?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"I understand your reservation. But trust me: I just want to help."

Batman looked at him. "Like you helped Arnold Grace?"

Tai Ji thought back. He smirked, remembering how he killed the monster who murdered his family. "First of all, I told you I respect you, Batman. I honestly want to help you in your mission. Second, what I did to Grace wasn't helping; that was revenge, pure and simple." He paused. "Well… not that pure and simple; you could also call that… an experiment. I was wondering how long he would survive while he was being cut open."

"_That_ wide open?"

"I dissected a frog once. He didn't complain."

"The frog was dead!"

The killer paused for a long time before slowly smirking, "Was it?"

Batman shivered. "Man, you creep me out…"

"Be thankful for that much. Some didn't get to know me long enough to discover how 'creepy' I can be."

"_He's got you there,_" Bruce said in the comlink.

Terry shrugged. "Good point," he said, agreeing with both men.

A blip showed up on the map of the Batmobile console.

"What's that?" Tai Ji asked.

"My contact may have located Blackwell's boat," Batman explained.

"Let us stop in and give our regards, then."

Batman shook his head, "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?" Regardless, he hit the thrusters and sped off toward the wharf.

* * *

They arrived at the wharf around 3 AM and found a large freight ship sitting in the dock. What left them curious was that they saw nothing out of the ordinary; the where no sign any of Blackwell's crew.

"All we have to go on is that they travel by sea but I don't see anyone," Batman pointed out. "We sure this is the right place?"

"I spent enough time tracking the blackguard, Batman," Tai Ji replied. "I know where the rat likes to hide. This is his ship. And, if he is working with your enemies, then they share a similar base of operations."

Batman stared at him. "Blackguard, huh?"

"I'm well aware of the irony of me giving someone else that title."

"Long as you know."

They started to inspect the ship, carefully walking around it in an effort to find the Walker family. They entered into the hull of the ship and found many equipment crates. There were already some spots where clearly a lot of things had already been taken off of the ship.

Batman looked at some of the crates. "You getting this?" he whispered to Bruce over the com.

"_I see it._"

"They've already been moving something."

"_Probably whatever Bennett isn't telling us. We need to find out what._"

"Batman," Tai Ji called out.

Batman looked over at the assassin and walked over to a crate. Tai Ji indicated that they should open it. They proceeded to do so, cautiously. Once they got the wooden lid up, they found what looked like a sound device that didn't produce sound but reflected it, except it seemed to be military grade.

"What the heck?" Batman asked.

"I thought Shriek already had sound generators?" Tai Ji asked.

"He does." He studied them. "So, why…" He looked at accomplice. "You said Blackwell's an expert at moving heavy equipment?"

"Yes."

"Then… maybe he needed to move something bigger. A sonic something, maybe. Which would explain these."

"Sound logic. But what?"

They heard some movement somewhere deeper in the hull.

"We'll figure it out later," Batman said. "Let's go."

They journeyed deeper into the ship until they came to a door that was locked tight. Batman knocked on it. "Melanie?"

"Batman?" she asked.

He looked inside and saw people moving around. He pulled a small explosive from his utility belt and put it on the door. "All of you move back, just in case." He moved Tai Ji away from the door. He detonated the explosive, destroying the lock on the door. They went back and entered the room. The rest of the Walker family was chained to pipes on the room; Batman pulled out a small laser and went to work setting them free.

"Are you okay?" Batman asked Melanie.

"No…" Melanie admitted. After her chains were loose, she threw her arms around Batman's neck. "But thank you."

Batman's eyes went wide but he gently moved her off of him. "No problem." He freed everyone else.

After being freed, Queen got to her feet. "Why are you saving us, Batman?"

"There's a difference between being arrested and being killed over vengeance. That shouldn't happen to you, especially not from King."

Queen stared at him, uncertain. Yet, she squeaked out, "Thank you."

"Took your sweet time, didn't you?" Jack asked.

"I could just leave you here," Batman said.

"Your code of ethics would allow such things?"

"If you get on my nerves, yes."

Tai Ji looked down the corridor. "Is there any possible way we could have this discussion when two crazed murderers aren't coming to kill us all?"

"Good point." He motioned toward the door. "Follow us." They all started down the corridor. "And, by the way, Tai Ji, you calling someone else 'crazed murder' is like me calling Superman arrogant for having his symbol on his chest."

Tai Ji just smiled.

They made it off the ship and were running along the pier when a boat next to them was blown away by a sonic blast.

Batman looked at the damage. "That is really getting old."

They all looked to see King and Shriek approaching.

"I should've known you'd come to save them," King drew his sword.

Tai Ji exhaled. "Your enemies certainly have a flair for the dramatic."

"Again, the irony," Batman replied.

"I was planning on waiting to kill you, Batman," Shriek said. "But if you, the family, and your little buddy here want to die that badly…" He aimed his gauntlets at them. "…fine by me."

"Think it's gonna be that easy?"

"I don't know. Why don't we find out?"

Batman readied a batarang.

Tai Ji entered a fighting stance.

King brought his sword up.

Shriek aimed his gauntlets.

"You three…" Batman said.

The Walker family looked at the Dark Knight.

"When I say run… run."

"Did you ever think the day would come, Batman?" Tai Ji asked. "When we would battle side by side?"

"Actually…" Batman shrugged, "yeah, kinda. Just seems to be the way my life works, especially with Bennett involved."

"I believe we will work well as a team."

"Here's hoping…"

King and Shriek looked ready to move.

Batman narrowed his eyes at them. "Guys…" he said to the Walker family.

They looked at the villains.

"RUN!"

* * *

**A/N: I know. I stink, right? Be ready for the next chapter, though. We are about to get real.**

**Next Chapter: Honor**

**Batman and Tai Ji take on Shriek and King in a fight to save the Walkers. But, someone will not walk away from this alive.**

**You can't miss this.**


	6. Chapter 5: Honor

**Chapter 5: Honor**

The Walker family ran for their lives while Batman threw five batarangs at his adversaries, Shriek blew them away. Tai Ji charged at the villains, dodging debris as he ran in. When he was close enough, he performed a flying kick on King, sending sailing down the pier a few feet. Shriek was about to attack the Black Tiger but Batman distracted him with another batarang. Batman tackled the sound genius while Tai Ji prepared to go toe-to-toe with King.

King swung his sword at the Black Tiger. Tai Ji ducked and came up with an uppercut but King barely evaded. Tai Ji wasn't perturbed; he switched his strategy mid-air and gave the feint royal a kick. He landed on his feet and prepared to launch another assault. But King threw several of his razor sharp playing cards at his adversary. Tai Ji performed several backflips to dodge the cards, landing in another fighting stance once all the cards had passed. He performed one more flip, landing behind a few crates. He found a few loose boards on one crate and broke them off. He jumped from his hiding spot and hurled the boards at King with brutal precision; King moved out of the way in time but was grazed in the shoulder enough that it would leave a serious bruise later.

King was impressed with the Black Tiger's skills but was confused by his motives. He got to his feet and took an unassuming stance. "Why are you aiding Batman?"

"Several reasons," Tai Ji answered, still poised to fight. "Some, you won't understand; others, Batman, himself, probably, wouldn't believe. But I imagine there was one simple to sum up all those reasons."

"Oh? And what is that?"

Tai Ji simply declared, "Some of us have more honor than others."

King had to stop himself from laughing at the assassin. "Honor. What a ridiculous notion. Quite the foolish reason to help a man who put you in jail."

The Black Tiger smirked. "I must say that I find somewhat hard to take to criticism from an individual who would kill his own family simply because he failed in his own schemes."

The corner of King's mouth twitched in frustration. "You know nothing of it!"

"No? Then, by all means, your majesty," he shifted into another stance, "come educate me."

* * *

Batman was blown down the pier by Shriek, being knocked out of the air. He moved out of the way of another attack then threw a batarang. He dove in the water to maneuver for his next attack. He swam, dodging explosions sound against the water; once he close enough, he used his rockets to explode from the water and tackle Shriek. He wrapped Shriek's arms behind him and tried to pin him down but the sound genius gave the Dark Knight a swift strike by throwing his head back and smacking the hero in the face. Batman stumbled back and just barely managed to dodge a swipe from Shriek's claws, taking to the air. Batman threw a gas ball at Shriek but he already knew that trick. He used another sonic burst to prevent the gas ball from detonating anywhere near him, sending it up in the air where it exploded.

"Gotta do better than that, Batman," Shriek taunted.

Batman growled. Unfortunately… he was right.

They tag team battle went on for a few minutes; Tai Ji forced King back near Batman and Shriek where the duo took turns battling each foe. Batman and Tai Ji almost battled in perfect sync, giving in each subtle clues of the next move they were going to make. With their battles of four months ago in their heads and hearts, they knew the fighting styles of one another well and were able to work together with that. It was quite the mental trip for McGinnis but he found himself being very grateful that Tai Ji was there; this rescue operation would've been impossible to pull off without him. Conversely, Tai Ji found this to be the first time in a long time he found himself fighting for the right cause. It brought more peace to his spirit, almost equal to when he learned the crimes against his family would be answered for. To fight alongside Batman told him that he wasn't a monster anymore; he was a man, once again.

The fight raged on and Batman finally had a chance to have Shriek on the ropes but the villain unleashed a powerful sound wave. The damage hit a boathouse, not too far from the battle, where Batman saw the Walker family was hiding, threatening to sink them into the harbor. The Dark Knight broke off his attack against Shriek to go check on them; Tai Ji noticed his comrade was rushing and kicked King away to go join him. Both men had to dodge attacks from the villains as they ran. Once they were inside the house, Shriek tried to collapse more of the building on them. Fortunately, no one was caught on the first blast. The villains weren't sure if anyone was hit or not, so, they had no way to know if their adversaries and victims were dead.

"I can try again!" Shriek started to aim.

"No!" King said, "We will handle this ourselves, close and personal. Come on!"

* * *

Batman and Tai Ji had the Walkers at the far end of the boathouse, away from the initial destruction.

"You guys okay?" Batman asked them all.

They nodded.

He looked at Tai Ji. "You?"

"Just fine," Tai Ji nodded. He looked at a wound on his arm. "With an exception."

Batman was surprised to see the wound. It was minor but he was still upset that he didn't catch it before now. "When did that even happen?"

"King stepped up his speed for a quick second and it caught me off guard, I'm ashamed to say. I crashed into something hence the injury."

"Why didn't I notice that?"

"Shriek had your face slammed against the ground."

Batman rolled his eyes.

The Black Tiger looked at his wound. "How embarrassing to suffer a wound in such a way."

"You haven't fought in a long time."

"Good point."

Batman saw that the villains were coming towards the damaged house, presumably to finish this at close range. Considering Shriek could've easily pummeled the building from distance, like Batman thought he would, this really spoke to their hatred. "Wow, they are mad."

"Dear daddy holds a grudge," Jack pointed out.

"Yeah, and Shriek isn't any better."

Tai Ji took into account their proximity on the pier, their enemies, and the fact that they had civilians to protect. It drew him to only one conclusion. "You can't save everyone, Batman."

Batman looked at him.

"But you can save those who aren't ready to die."

Terry looked at him, suspiciously. "What?"

Tai Ji smirked. "You already saved my soul. My life… I'll do with what I will."

"What are you even talking about?"

The Black Tiger motioned toward the Walkers. "Get them out. I will cover your escape."

"Are you crazy? You can't do that! Sure, you can take King but not both of them."

Tai Ji stared at him. "We either argue about this and three people _will_ die or you let me fight and, in which case, only one person _may_ die."

Batman grunted. "No! Forget it! We'll get their attention! I'll throw a smoke ball and get all of us out of there."

"I doubt that."

"Didn't ask!"

Shriek blew apart some more debris, opening up the boathouse.

Batman looked at Tai Ji and mouthed, "Ready?"

The Black Tiger nodded.

He looked back at the Walkers and they nodded, too.

Batman waited for them to step inside a good ways into the boathouse then threw several smoke balls. The Dark Knight grabbed Melanie's hand and pulled her from the hiding spot, followed by Jack, Queen, and Tai Ji, who was bringing up the rear. Shriek blew the smoke away and he and King saw the group running. Batman fired a number of batarangs from his wrist launcher with his free hand, causing the villains to duck. Shriek was about to fire a wave of sound when Tai Ji threw a metal pail he caught sight of and hurled it at him. He charged in and kicked the sound villain in the helmet, spinning him around. He followed by burying his leg deep in Shriek's gut.

Batman looked at him, "TAI JI!"

Tai Ji looked back. "GO! GO! GET THEM TO SAFETY!"

Batman wanted to argue…

"BATMAN, GO! NOW!"

He growled but relented. He turned to the family, "COME ON!" He helped the family get away, running away from the boathouse and away from the wharf.

With them gone, Tai Ji refocused on the still recovering Shriek. He rushed at him, dropped to the ground, and gave Shriek an upward jumping double foot strike to the chin. Shriek fell backward while Tai Ji carefully stalked him. He was suddenly blasted by the energy strike from King's sword. Tai Ji hit the ground and looked at the former leader of the Royal Flush gang.

"You really had nothing to do with this, sir," King declared. "But you have interfered for far too long."

Tai Ji chuckled. "Forgive me… but I'm rather proud for of my interference."

He dodged King's next attack, just barely however. He didn't dodge a sound blast from the wounded Shriek. Tai Ji gritted his teeth from the hit. He dodged another blast and landed near a tool box. He smirked.

'_A weapon wouldn't hurt._' Tai Ji grabbed the tool box and found large wrench next to it. He stood up and hurled the tool box at King's head; he blocked it with his sword but not the follow up kick from Tai Ji. The Black Tiger managed to just barely dodge a sound blast from Shriek; he charged at him and hit him across the helmet with the wrench. He whacked him as hard as he could again. Shriek tried to aim his left gauntlet but he buried the wrench into the sound generator, shorting it out. Tai Ji followed up with a kick. He was going to attack him again with one of King's razor cards stuck in his shoulder. The Black Tiger gritted and turned around. He kicked the wooden floor board hard enough to break it and kick it at him. King slashed it out of the air and tried slashing at Tai Ji but the former killer ducked underneath the sword and punched King in the face numerous times. He kept up this pace until he claw slashes on his back. He stumbled and fell at Shriek's attack. The wound wasn't very deep but it slowed him down but not enough to be critical.

Shriek's sound wave at point blank range accomplished that mission.

Tai Ji went sailing back into a wall. He tried to catch his breath before he began to crawl along the ground. His breathing became labored, which made him realize that the last blast caused something inside his body to become decidedly damaged. Another sound blast didn't help the situation and it sent him flying into the wall again, the force being nearly equal to being ejected from a car crash. It almost put him through the wall.

King took a few breaths, "Quite… the agile… assassin."

Tai Ji pushed himself into a seated position against the wall. He was out of breath and what breath could get was blocked. "You… should've…" He stopped to get his breath. "…seen me… in my prime."

Shriek walked toward Tai Ji with King following behind. "I was hoping to kill Batman tonight… but you'll do."

He looked up at the approaching villains and chuckled. "We all must die sometime… I choose to face mine without fear."

"Let me oblige you then..." Shriek aimed his gauntlet.

* * *

Batman had just gotten the Walkers away from the pier.

"_I've already called Gordon,_" Bruce said over the com. "_Go get Tai Ji!_"

Batman exhaled and whispered, "Got it." He looked at the Walkers, "Alright, all of you stay here and, for God's sake, stay quiet and out of sight! Help is on its way!"

"Batman…" Melanie said.

"Not now!" He deployed his wings and took off for the sky to get back to the boathouse. He rocketed to his destination and crashed through the skylight…

…but not in time to stop what happened to Tai Ji.

At point blank range, Shriek fire a wave of sound right at Tai Ji, blowing him through wall behind him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Batman threw a flurry of batarangs at the duo, causing them to duck. He followed by tossing multiple exploding gas balls. With the villains distracted, he attacked both of them, fast and furious; something neither one was prepared for. He wasn't thinking about attack strategy right now; he went back to what he knew best: how to street fight and let all his anger fuel his fists.

Shriek slid across the ground from Batman's last punch and grunted. '_No time for this…_' He hit a circuit on his gauntlet, causing the whole pier to shake and the boathouse started to come down. The villains took their chance at escape and exited the boathouse while Batman dodged parts of the building. He thought about chasing after them but he looked at his ally afloat in the water and saw that he required his immediate attention. He dove in the water, scooped up Tai Ji, and flew him away of the crumbling boathouse.

Batman tried flying to the closest hospital he could but he noticed that he wasn't breathing.

"No!" Batman said. "Tai Ji? Tai Ji!" They flew to a nearby building where Terry did everything could to try and revive him. "Tai Ji? Can you hear me?!" He performed CPR, trying to wake him. He was doing chest compressions, "Tai Ji, come on!" He kept pushing on his chest. He breathed into his mouth again and went back to his compressions. "Tai Ji, please, man! Don't do this! Don't die on me!"

After a couple of more compressions, the weary warrior coughed and opened his eyes. He looked at the hero.

Batman gasped. He could see what Tai Ji knew: it was almost the end. "No…" Batman whispered. He spoke up, "No… Tai Ji… hold on! I'm gonna get you some help!" He started to pick him up so they could fly to a hospital. "Just hold on a little…"

But Tai Ji put his hand up, "No. No, Batman. It's fine… I want this… I can… die… with honor…"

"Don't say that!"

"It's because of you, Batman…" He was calm. "I have… some honor back… I'm… I'm not a monster, anymore."

"No, NO! No, Tenzin, hold on!"

Tai Ji smiled at hearing this hero say his real name. "Thank you… for calling me by that name…" He looked at the sky. "I forgot it… for a while." He looked back at the hero. "Heed my words from before… my… my friend. Walk… you… your path, Batman. My own hand… led me to death… I don't… don't mind this… but go. Stop those men… do… what you do best…" He pointed at the bat symbol on the hero's chest, "be a protector. Your city needs you… it needs… its…" His speech slowed as his hand fell, "…hero…" He slowly closed his eyes and let go. The Black Tiger… was gone.

Batman looked up in disbelief. His mouth was open as he tried to catch his breath… but he couldn't. He just gritted his teeth… and leaned down, burying his face in Tai Ji's chest. His grip tightened on his Tai Ji's shirt. He didn't want revenge right now; that would come later. All he wanted, right now, was to grieve for his comrade.

* * *

**A/N: Feel free to let those feels flow. I don't blame you. I'm a little sad, right now.**

**Well, I must say, King and Shriek have screwed up now. And, Terry will not take this lying down.**

**Next Chapter: Survivor's Pain**

**Batman is left to grieve over his fallen former adversary and do his best to plan how to bring down his killers.**

**Be here for it.**


	7. Chapter 6: Survivor's Pain

**A/N: So, we are back. In a quick recap and SPOILER if you didn't read the last chapter (and why haven't you?), our beloved Tai Ji has died fighting against Shriek and King and Batman is left to grieve.**

**But, soon, the time of grieving will be over and what will come next?**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Survivor's Pain**

Dawn had just started to break and it couldn't have seemed gloomier for the Dark Knight. The police arrived in time to get the Walkers but they found no trace of King or Shriek. The villains even abandoned their freight ship and all of the equipment left on board. But none of that was on Terry's mind as he walked up arrived at the front door of Gotham Police Headquarters. Ignoring the police and other random spectators staring at him, Batman carried Tai Ji's body and laid him out in front of the door. He looked around at the officers.

He said nothing.

He called Commissioner Gordon ahead of time to let her know he was coming and waited until she and Bennett came running out. They saw Tai Ji's body, which made both of them pause with looks of surprise. They took notice of Batman's expression and deduced what happened.

The Dark Knight looked at them both… and said nothing. He stared hatred at Bennett but said nothing. He backed away and took to the sky.

A mile away from the police department, Batman stood on a rooftop, overlooking his city. He was wanted to scream. He wanted to yell. But what he really wanted was for Shriek and King to come and find him, so they could settle this.

"_Terry?_" Bruce's voice came over the intercom.

Terry didn't answer.

"_Terry, talk._"

Batman was silent for a few seconds more. He finally found the ability to form and verbalize words again. "He's dead."

"_I know._"

"He's dead." It was his first time saying it out loud. And it hit him like a ton of bricks now. It was real. "Bruce… they killed him… THEY KILLED HIM!"

His outburst was surprising but expected. "_Terry, calm down!_"

"No! There was no reason for that! No reason for any of this! I mean… what was that even for?! Killing Tenzin?! What'd he have to do with this?! He was only there because of me! Because I couldn't do it alone! He's only dead because of me!"

"_That's not true and you know it!_"

"Says you!" He stopped. Only one course of action made sense now. "I'm going after them!"

"_No, you're not! Not yet!_"

"What?! You gonna shut the suit down?! Won't stop me! I know where they were! I'll track them down and I'm taking them down!"

"_McGinnis!_"

"I'm going!"

"_MCGINNIS! CALM DOWN!_"

Terry paused, breathing hard for anger and shaking out of delayed shock.

"_I know you're mad but this is NOT how you deal with this! You find out where they are and then what? You'll rush in and get yourself killed!_"

Terry sighed and did his best to compose himself. "What would you do?"

The first Batman went silent for a few seconds. That was a really good question. It had been a long time since Bruce was in a situation like this. He shook his head. "_Times like this… I had to step back for a minute._"

Terry scoffed. "Well, you had Alfred. The Commissioner, Drake. Even Selina Kyle. And Grayson, even though you never talked to most of them."

"_Maybe that was my error,_" Bruce said under his breath, just out of Terry's ear shock. His mind went back to the current problem: he needed to Terry to calm down. He thought of a way… not his favorite but it would work. He looked up at the screen. "_Go home, rest for a while. Then, go see Max._"

"What for?"

"_You need a break. You get some rest and I'll use everything I can to find out what they are up to._"

"I thought Batman doesn't take breaks."

"_Batman's girlfriend isn't supposed to know his identity. Things change. Go._"

Terry almost smiled. He cut the comlink and headed for home for a couple of hours of rest.

* * *

Of course, resting at home was easier said than done. Terry went home and made himself comfortable but he didn't really get any sleep. His emotions were still running high and his adrenaline was still going. He just laid in bed, trying to relax but he just couldn't. He got up around 10 and found his mother and brother eating breakfast. He walked over and sat down.

"Hey, look at the loser!" Matty teased.

Terry just scoffed but smirked. He didn't have it in to respond this morning. His brother may annoy him but, after last night, nothing meant more to him than to hear his little brother insult him. He was actually happy to hear it.

Mary could see that her oldest son was different this morning. "Terry?"

He looked at her.

"Are you okay?"

He opened his mouth to answer but couldn't. He had no idea that this was affecting this much but he couldn't help it, either. It was nearly impossible to mask it, no matter how hard he tried.

Mary could clearly see something was wrong. She looked at her youngest son, "Matty, go to your room for a minute."

"Aww," Matt whined. "Why?"

"Go."

Matt groaned, "Fine." He got up and left the table and went to his room.

Mary leaned over and looked at Terry. "Talk."

Terry sighed. Naturally, he couldn't be completely honest with his mother but he could be honest enough to her and let himself free of a little emotional weight. It would be good to get some of this off of his chest, for now; he could let it all go later. "Umm… last night, uh…" He knew he had to choose his words carefully. "A… friend of mine… he died."

She gasped and sat back. "Oh, Terry. I'm so sorry. A friend from school?"

"No, umm… someone I met through the job."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Was he a good friend?"

He paused. What a good question. But when the hero thought about it… "We had a rocky start… but, yeah. In the end… he was a good friend." He stared off into space, "A real good friend."

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. What happened?"

He sighed. Here was the part where he had to come up with something. "It was just an accident at his job."

"Oh, goodness." She put her arm on her son's arm. "Are you going to be okay?"

That was the key question. He looked all around the kitchen, his mouth agape. He had no idea. He closed his mouth and continued staring at nothing.

"Terry?"

"Yeah, yeah," he lied. "I'll be okay." He wasn't sure if that was the truth or not. He slowly stood up. "Umm… I'm gonna go to Max's for a while, Mom. Then… I'm probably gonna go to Mr. Wayne's."

"Terry…" she stood up. "It will be okay. I know it."

He sighed. "Maybe."

"Your friend may be gone… but, in the end, at least, he knew you were friends."

He sighed. He, actually, did have that. He looked at her, "Thanks, Mom." He nodded, "See you later."

"Take care of yourself, sweetie."

He nodded and left the apartment.

* * *

On his way to his girlfriend's house, McGinnis called the genius teen and informed her of the situation. Instantly, concern entered her mind; she knew how hard he took loss, even if Tai Ji was once an enemy. When he arrived at Max's apartment, Terry knocked on her door. She opened it before the second knocked connected all the way. She saw him standing there with a forlorn look on his face. She really had never seen him look like that before.

"Terry," she threw her arms around his neck.

It took him a few seconds to recognize the embrace but he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist.

She knew he wasn't crying but he didn't have to for her to know he was deeply hurt on the inside. "It's okay, baby. It'll be okay."

Terry wasn't so sure. Shriek was dangerous sure but to kill Tai Ji like he did was cruel and ruthless, even for him.

She released the embrace and took him by the hand, "Come on. Get inside."

They sat on her couch, total silence. Terry had his hands clasped in front of his mouth. No matter what he did the image of Tai Ji's face was frozen in his mind. Even when he tried not to think about it, it came flashing back. It reminded him of when his father died.

And, just like that night, he knew the image would never go away.

"Terry?" Max asked.

He remembered where he was and blinked back to the present. "Huh?"

"I was asking if you were okay… I guess that kinda answers the question."

He sighed. He was finally around someone he could be completely honest with. Max had always been that person for him; he never took that for granted. He looked at her, "I'm sorry, Max. But… no, I'm not okay." He stared off into space. Tai Ji's face came back to his mind. "Not at all…"

"It'll be fine."

Had it been almost anyone else saying that, he would've gotten mad. But he couldn't be mad at her; per usual, she was just trying to help. "It won't be fine. Not this time. Shriek's gone insane. I mean… he just killed Tai Ji… just like that."

"Terry…"

"And I couldn't save him… I should've tried harder…" He stopped. "Why?" His anger at the situation was coming back to the surface; not at Max but just at the situation. "Why didn't I try harder?" He suddenly, stood up and began to pace, aggressively, "Why didn't I try harder?! I could've thrown another batarang, taken out the sound generator on his hand! I could've flown faster! Made the Walkers move faster! Or better yet, I could've NOT left him to fight those maniacs by himself in the first place!"

"Terry…" Max was desperate to get him to calm down.

He opened the fountain of his frustration. He couldn't shut it off right now. It was building up this entire time and he had to let it out, anyway. "And King?! He just stood there! Tai Ji didn't have anything to do with this! Why'd he just let that maniac kill him?!"

"Terry… please…"

"I mean… they're both nuts, I knew that! But to go this far! Tai Ji didn't have anything to do with this! Why'd they kill him?! Why?! What was the point of that? Why would they kill him?" He tried to catch his breath. "I shouldn't have brought him into this! That was all my fault! All of it! He's dead because of me!" He wrapped his arms around his head, "Because of me!"

"Terry, no…"

He threw his arms down and roared. "Oh, come on, Max! Come on! We both know it! If it hadn't been for me going to Bennett in the first place, he'd still be alive! This is all my fault! They killed him because of me! And it shouldn't have been him!" He stopped. "Why wasn't it me?"

Her mind screeched to a halt, "What?"

"Why him? Not me? Tai Ji was in a cell! Locked down! He had nothing to do with this! They're supposed to be fighting me! I should've taken that hit… Not him!"

"Terry…" Now, she was the one who couldn't breathe regularly.

"I'm the one who makes these sacrifices! I know the risks! He was already answering for his crimes! He was brought into this and died for it! This is not fair! Not fair when it should've been me!"

She jumped out of her seat, "STOP SAYING THAT!"

He stopped immediately at her outburst.

"Just stop! Okay?! Stop saying that! I'm sorry about what happened to Tai Ji! You know I am! But that shouldn't have been you! It should never be you! DON'T… DON'T EVER SAY THAT!" She tried to catch her breath. She shook her head, "I get that because of this life you could… that you could…" She couldn't speak it out loud. She decided to just move on with her point, "but don't ever say it should be you! It never should be! It can't be you, Terry."

He paused and got his breath. He didn't mean for his rant to go like that but he couldn't stop it, either.

"I don't know what I'd do without you! I can't even think about my life if you're not there! I need you there! I lov…" She gasped.

They stared at each other, both hearing the admission that almost was. Max walked a few feet away from Terry, turning her back to him and cupping her mouth with her hands. They both took a minute to let the high emotions die down.

Max turned back to face him, "Just… don't say that." She turned back around, catching her breath still.

Terry walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Max, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Despite everything, the feeling of his arms wrapped around her made all the difference and calmed her down. "It's okay… just… let's try and figure out what they're up to and how to stop them, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

They sat down and Max pulled out her laptop and she got to work, checking police reports and the like. Terry leaned over and did what he could to get his mind off of Tai Ji. He looked over at his girlfriend and remembered the fear he saw in her eyes just a second ago. He put the whole situation out of his mind and focused on Max. While she worked, he moved to the far end of the sofa, towards the wall; he wrapped his arm around her waist, and slid her closer to him, sitting her in between his legs. He rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. It was almost a hypnotic trance he put her in. Max stopped working, closing her laptop and setting it on the floor. She leaned her head back on his shoulder, closing her eyes. They didn't get any work done. They didn't want to. They needed to stop. To take a breath. To take a moment. Just be with one another. It was a moment they both wanted. A moment they both needed.

Who could say how many more of these they would get?

* * *

Shriek and King watched at Blackwell's crew continued working on their project.

"Do you think that they have any idea what we are really up to?" King asked.

Shriek laughed. "Are you kidding? All that we left on the boat will have them scratching their heads like monkeys."

"Perhaps. I just know that Batman is very tenacious. And he seemed to take our killing of his comrade rather personally." He paused. "I wonder why."

"Who cares?" He walked to King. "In a couple of days, he won't matter. Gotham won't matter."

"Indeed."

Blackwell walked up to them. "Okay… that's all the really heavy lifting. The rest should be up by tomorrow night."

"Good work, my good man."

He chuckled. "You guys were right about keeping Batman occupied. No sign of him anywhere."

"We told you," Shriek said.

"Well, I gotta say… you guys are little out there… but the payoff from this job looks worth it. I can't wait to get my cut."

Shriek chuckled. "Oh, trust us…"

King smirked, "You will."

* * *

After an afternoon of solitude, including food and much needed sleep, night had set in Gotham. Terry and Max were both lying on the couch, Max resting her head on Terry's chest. The hero wasn't really feeling much better but the break was what he needed.

Terry looked to see the darkened city sky and knew he needed to get back to work. He looked down at his girlfriend, "I have to go see Wayne."

She looked up at him, concerned. She was going to speak but Terry preempted her.

"It's gonna be alright, Max. But… I have to go."

She nodded.

They got up from the couch but, just Terry started for the door, Max pulled him by his shirt, causing him to turn around right into a kiss from the dark skinned girl. There was a lot of passion in the kiss. Max pulled back and stared into Terry's eyes.

"I'll see you later," he said.

She nodded, "Okay."

* * *

After arriving at Wayne Manor, Terry went down into the Batcave. He saw Bruce sitting at the computer as usual. They stared at each other in silence.

Terry knew he had to apologize for how behaved with his mentor earlier. He snapped on Wayne and he didn't deserve that. "Bruce, I…"

"Reacted the same way I would have," Bruce finished. If anyone understood Terry's emotions, it was Bruce. He not only wasn't hurt by Terry's reaction; he was relieved to see it. If the teen had pretended everything was fine, Bruce knew that he was liable to blow and make costly mistakes. This showed Bruce that Terry had his head on straight. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything but have a natural reaction: anger."

"Still…"

"Let it go, Terry. We have more important things to concern ourselves with."

Terry sighed. "Got that right." He shook his head, "What the heck are they up to?"

"I still don't know. We need to know what they stole. Unfortunately, all we have are the small sound generators the police confiscated from the freighter. They wouldn't need a thief like Blackwell to steal something like that."

This was getting maddeningly frustrating for Terry. He wanted to know what the slag was going on and he wanted to know now. But, in truth, they only had one lead, and a slim one at that. "We need Bennett to tell us."

Bruce sat back in his chair, pressing his fingers together. "You're right."

"I'm sorry?"

He turned to face the young teen. "No sign of King, Shriek, Blackwell, any of his known associates, or anything in almost 24 hours. We know they stole something big enough for the NSA to get into a grant a criminal a temporary pass and for Bennett to even show up. All this… and we don't know anything. And, personally, I'm getting tired of it."

"What are you thinking?"

"I wanna know what Bennett knows." Bruce paused. "Now."

Music to Terry's ears. He turned and went for his suit, "Don't have to tell me twice…"

"Terry…"

He stopped.

Bruce stood up. "I don't care what it takes. Lean on Bennett. Hard. He had his chance to do this the nice way… but now… he does it our way."

Terry smirked. "Are we showing him that we play dirty?"

Bruce smirked. "Absolutely."

"Like I said…" Terry turned around, "You don't have to tell me twice."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, now, it's time for answers. And Bennett better be ready to talk.  
**

**Next Chapter: Secrets Revealed**

**Batman confronts Bennett about what he knows and continues to hunt for his adversaries. Meanwhile, King and Shriek are just about ready to enact their final plan. What will it be and how far are they about to go? All sides are gearing up as this will all soon come to a head.**

**Be here for it!**


	8. Chapter 7: Secrets Revealed

**Chapter 7: Secrets Revealed**

Bennett and his team were starting to leave their hotel room to try and track down Blackwell when, as soon as his agents opened the door, they found themselves being thrown back against a wall while the rest were disarmed. Bennett backed up as Batman decloaked and advanced toward him menacingly.

"He's dead because of you," Batman gritted.

Bennett just continued to back up.

Batman stopped short of attacking him, knowing that Bennett probably had some way of disarming him. "You're gonna tell me what they stole and you're gonna do it now."

"Is that a fact?" Bennett asked.

"Yeah, it is."

"Attacking government agents over the death of a criminal? Won't look good in the papers."

"If that was your concern, you wouldn't have used Tai Ji in the first place."

Bennett didn't respond to that. It was too true. "What are you gonna do? Torture me for information? How's that gonna make me freeing Tai Ji to find Blackwell any better?"

Batman smirked. "It's not." He hit the recorder button on his wrist. "But the conversations and videos I've been taking of our meetings probably won't make Washington too happy."

Bennett's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Sorry. Did you think because people call me a superhero I play by the rules? If I did, I'd be working for you."

Bennett's jaw started to twitch in anger.

"Oh, gimme a break, Bennett. I don't trust you anymore than I can take Superman in an arm wrestling contest. Besides, I've learned to have leverage when it comes to you. So… what's it gonna be? You gonna tell me what they stole? Or is the press gonna be real happy that they have evidence of questionable government activity given to them by Batman?" He smiled. "That'll really send it over the top. Maybe I can get some good press, for once."

"You're bluffing!"

"Am I? I'll give you a tip: you know Senator Jordan Hill, right? Gotham native and son of former mayor, Hamilton Hill. Well, his grandson was kidnapped about six, maybe seven months ago. I tracked the kidnappers to Central City and rescued him. Senator Hill was already a supporter of mine before then but he was really grateful to me after that. He told me, if I ever need anything, I only had to ask." Batman folded his arms. "I know it might make him a little uneasy but, once I tell him you used a man who was already answering for a crime and got him killed, oh… I know he'll get over any reservations really fast."

"You're the one that took Tai Ji with you to find the Walkers in the first place!"

"WHY YOU!" Batman took a step in anger but stopped. He got control of himself. He heaved a few times and stepped back. "And you brought him here. If his blood is on my hands, it's on yours, too. But how did I even have him as an option? Because you brought him here. And everyone will know it." The hero paused, using his stare to drive home his point. "So, Bennett… how do wanna play this? Are you gonna talk to me or do I talk to the good Senator?"

Bennett hated to do it… but Batman had him in a corner. He had no choice. "Fine. Fine, I'll tell you!"

Batman nodded… while using his folded arms to discreetly hit his record button again.

Bennett sighed. "They stole a weapon called the Sonic Shockwave."

"The what now?"

"It was a high powered, weaponized sonic generator. Powerful enough to knock out an enemy bunker if necessary."

Batman stood for several seconds in astonished amazement at Bennett's stupidity. "You let… Shriek… get his hands… on a sound… _weapon_?!"

Bennett looked away. "…he built it for us…"

The Dark Knight paused and stared at the agent like he was completely insane. "Come again?"

"It was years ago. Before he went… insane. We needed a weapon strong enough to not cause any fallout but still get the job done. We turned to Shreeve because of his research and he did exactly what we asked. We needed it as a powerful alternate to nuclear weapons or any kind of chemical weapons for that matter. It's all the muss and none of the fuss."

Batman had to resist punching Bennett over and over again. "This was all just to clean up a mess you made… wasn't it? That's why you used Tai Ji."

Bennett nodded.

"Oh, wow!" Batman walked in a frustrated circle. "That's great!" He stopped then scoffed. "So, that's why he needed Blackwell. To steal the stupid thing." He looked back at Bennett, "How did he even know where to find it?"

"We're not sure. We kept it in a storage facility in Manchester. Some allies there had it stored there, just in case. Since he built it, he may have known how to track it. We never really able figure out exactly how to reverse engineer it. As far as stealing it, once he found it, Blackwell was the quickest and most obvious choice to help him get it."

"This just keeps getting better." Batman walked around in confusion, trying to figure out what his next course of action was. He looked at Bennett. "Have you found it yet? Or Blackwell?"

"No, we're still searching. Shriek bounced the sound wave that he used to crush the building you were in all over the city, making it impossible for us to trace. All we ever find are places he could possibly bounce it off of."

Batman shook his head. "Thank you for being useless." He headed for the door.

"He's probably planning something really big."

"I got that part."

"We have to find him before…"

Batman almost laughed but he just scoffed and looked at the government agent. "No. _I_ have to find him. You should probably leave and go be useless elsewhere." He was about to turn around again but stopped, "Oh! And if you, for a second, think you can go after Senator Hill, just remember I will always have these recordings and a lot of other things against you have no idea I even have. If you even try to take him down… I _will_, I swear, take you down." Batman activated his cloak again and left the agents to recover… and probably cower.

* * *

Despite now knowing what he was looking for, it really didn't help Terry much. He still had no idea where the villains were hiding now and he had no idea where the Sonic Shockwave was. Bruce tried to triangulate where the source of sound was that decimated the Green Building but he hit the same walls Bennett's team did. He let a few scenarios run through the computer while he tried to figure it out, ordering Terry to just stay on patrol for the time being. Terry stayed on the hunt but couldn't find them.

Which left all of their pursuers to wonder: what were they up to next?

* * *

A few hours later, Blackwell and his team connected one last cable to the Sonic Shockwave. "Okay!" the thief shouted, getting the attention of his two cohorts. "That's it! She's all ready!"

Shriek and King walked up to the group of thieves.

Shriek looked at it and chuckled. "Good job."

"Quite," King agreed.

"So, what's the next step?" Blackwell asked. "Do you… ransom off the city?"

"Not exactly."

"Oh. So, what? Are you going to hit random banks?"

"Nope," Shriek said.

"Then… what are we doing?"

The villains looked at each other. In a flash, King grabbed Blackwell by the throat and pulled him away while Shriek attacked the thieving crew, blowing them all against the wall with enough force to knock them out. Blackwell looked in horror at the attack then King forced him to the floor.

"What are you… monsters?" Blackwell asked.

King just smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Let's just say…" Shriek said. "…We've just… lost our ability to care."

"We thank you for your service, Mr. Blackwell. But our business…" He drew his sword. "…has come to an end. As have you."

* * *

The next day came with nothing more than they had in the days before. So, Terry just spent the afternoon with his family and girlfriend before heading to Wayne Manor once night had arrived. He went down to the cave and proceeded to get changed into his uniform. After he emerged, he walked over to the computer where his mentor was sitting with Ace resting at his feet.

"Still no sign of them," Bruce said. "They've been quiet this long."

"They're probably about to move," Terry said. "I'm gonna get out on patrol… maybe see if I catch them up to something."

"Okay."

The young man headed for the Batmobile but stopped. He had something to get off his chest and Wayne would be the only one who understood. "I can't stop seeing him."

Bruce turned to look at him. Ace even looked up.

"Tai Ji." Terry shook his head. "Whenever I sleep… I see him. He's just… there. Not talking, not blaming. Just…" He looked back at Bruce. "Is this what it's like for you?"

Bruce was surprised by the question. He stared in silence at Terry. "Sometimes…"

The Dark Knight sighed.

"But you have ways to get through it."

"I know. Just takes a while."

"That it does. Give yourself time."

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Sure."

"You remember how you told me Two Face got worse?"

Bruce knew he meant in relation to how King and Shriek had clearly escalated. "Yes."

"How'd you stop him?"

The first Batman was silent. The memories of that were… uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Please… just tell me…"

It was then Bruce realized Terry had arrived at the moment of being Batman where it he faced the impossible decisions on a nightly basis. And he needed to be ready for them. Terry wasn't a kid anymore; he is Batman.

The elder hero sighed. "He forced me to either save him or his ex-fiancé, Grace. I tried to save them both… but Dent knew what he was doing." He paused for a while. "He made it impossible to save him. But Harvey wanted to die, Terry. Wanted me to be unable to save him. He wanted that death to always be on my conscience. Which… I guess, in that way, he succeeded. What these two are doing is different… they don't care about you. Not really. They care about one thing: death."

Terry understood. It didn't help his mood though; both of them knew it wouldn't. It left him wondering if something was going to push him to make a choice. Was he going to fight these two to a bitter end? Was that what they wanted?

"Alfred told me something once… something I never forgot…"

Terry snapped back to the present.

"Some men… aren't looking for anything logical… not money, power, wealth… not even revenge… because… sometimes… some people… all they want?" He looked toward his protégé. "Is to see the world burn."

Terry rubbed the back of his head. "I'm going to talk to the Walkers." He paused. "Maybe King said something to them off the cuff. Something that could help us find them."

"Good thinking. But… are you sure you're up to this?"

He shrugged, "Just 'cause I'm unnerved doesn't mean Batman is. We still have to find these guys."

Bruce nodded. Terry got into the Batmobile and left. The elder hero turned his attention back toward the computer and got back to work.

* * *

Commissioner Gordon had placed the Walker family a safe house, for now, since King and Shriek were still on the loose. The house was held in complete secret from the general public; child's play for Bruce and Terry had to find. Batman looked through the window and them in the common room of the house. They were guarded by police officer Nathan Brooks; fortunately, Batman had befriended him some time before.

Batman tapped on the window and Brooks looked up. He motioned for Brooks to open the window.

The officer did so. "You know it's my badge if anyone finds out I did this," Brooks said.

"Good thing I'm good at keeping a secret," Batman smirked. He looked at former Royal Flush Gang members. "I think the hallway needs guarding, Nate. For, at least, a few minutes."

Brooks nodded. "Sure thing, Bats." He left the room, going into the hallway.

Batman looked at them all and folded his arms. "I want answers. Now. Where's King?"

"What makes you think we know?" Jack asked, some insolence attached.

"There is a long list of things I am not in the mood for and your attitude is one of them! Tai Ji is dead because of your father and what's worse is that he is probably just the first!"

Melanie shied back. "We don't know anything. He just said that we would die first… then the rest of their enemies."

That wasn't a good sign, even if it did slightly narrow the scope a bit. Batman shook his head, "Tai Ji was no enemy of theirs. He didn't deserve that."

"That was that guy who committed those murders four months ago, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why was helping you?"

Batman paused at the simple question. Then, he realized it had a simple answer. "Because he had a good heart. He just forgot for a while." In that statement, he found some solace so far.

"I just can't believe any of this," Queen said. "I can't believe Rupert would've gone that far…"

Not her best choice of words, more so because Batman couldn't believe she actually said that. He gritted his teeth and looked at her. "REALLY?! After kidnapping and threatening all of you, you can't believe your homicidal maniac of an ex-husband would kill a man who had nothing to do with this? You're a great judge of character, lady!"

"What are you shouting about?" Jack asked. "It's not like that guy was your friend."

Batman snapped. He punched Jack in the jaw so hard the former thief was seeing stars. "HE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A FRIEND TO KNOW THAT HE WAS A LIVING PERSON! A PERSON YOUR FATHER JUST MURDERED!"

Batman took a few breaths and backed up. He looked at the Queen and Melanie. They looked afraid. He just exhaled. He didn't need this. He didn't want this. He walked over to Jack and offered him a hand up. He guided Jack to the sofa, helping him sit down. "It's not about him being my friend or not. A life is a life. I don't care if your father would've stabbed _Shriek_ in the chest. Killing is still killing. And I don't like it." He headed towards the window.

"I'm sorry, Batman," Melanie said.

He stopped. "Yeah…" He looked at her. "Thanks."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Find them both and bring them down…" He hopped on the window but paused. He turned back and looked at them. "The right way."

Nate burst in the room. "Batman!"

Batman stopped before taking off. He forgot all about the officer. "Oh, Nate, sorry."

"Central said officers just found Cory Blackwell!"

Batman's eyes went wide. "When? Where?"

"Just a minute ago. In Midtown. But… he's dead."

Batman exhaled and looked away. "How?"

"His throat was cut."

The whole room seized up at that news.

"The Commissioner's heading there now."

Batman nodded, "Thanks." He took off from the window, heading toward Midtown.

* * *

Batman arrived in Midtown and examined the scene. Cory Blackwell was left in an alley against a few dumpsters. Batman saw Gordon, gazing the scene in disgust. He landed next to her as they both looked at the body.

"Those twisted…" Gordon began.

"Yeah," Batman nodded.

"The rest of his gang has been turning up all over Gotham. None of them looking any better than him."

"No loose ends."

"I suppose. Any news?"

"Nothing yet." He looked at Blackwell's body. "Even less now."

She paused. "I'm sorry about Tai Ji."

"Me, too."

Gordon kept staring at the body. "You'll find them."

"Thanks."

"We can handle this." She spoke quieter, "And if I learn anything…"

"Thanks, Commissioner. I appreciate it."

"No problem."

He backed up and took off for the sky. Once he got back to the Batmobile, he just sat down and paused. He took off his mask and rubbed his eyes.

What a mess this was. Tai Ji was dead and now Blackwell and his gang. What in the world was going on? King and Shriek have a sound death machine, a slew of bodies were turning up, and the Gotham Knights still didn't have any answers. Terry leaned over, covering his mouth with his hands as he tried to come up with a game plan.

A phone alert went off. Max.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"_Terry? Are you busy?_"

"Unfortunately, no." He paused. "Blackwell's dead."

"_I heard._" She paused. "_Can you come by?_"

He shook his head, "I don't…"

"_It's alright, Terry,_" Bruce interrupted. "_Give me an hour. I think I can nearly pinpoint the position of the Shockwave. Gather your strength. You're going to need it._"

Terry really didn't feel up to arguing with anyone at this point. So, he nodded, "Okay." He sighed. "Be right there, Max."

* * *

Everything was in place. Everything was ready. The villains looked at each other and nodded. Shriek hit a few buttons on the computer and loaded the program to hack in to networks all over Gotham City.

* * *

Bruce kept plugging away at the computer, trying to find the Sonic Shockwave. All the while, all aspects of this case were constantly running through his head. The death of Tai Ji was radical even by Shriek's standards and far cry from King's, which told Wayne that they were not in this for simple revenge. So, what was the endgame?

His thought process shifted to the destruction of the Green Building. There was a resonation that started in several areas, which is what made the source all the harder to locate, nearly impossible almost, but the focal point was the building. A bit more power and that whole portion of the city would've been reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the city map on the main screen.

A bit more power.

With a lot more, they could easily topple…

His eyes went wide. He saw the whole plan in front of him. It was so easy and so terrifying. But there it was. And, since Blackwell was already dead, that meant they were ready to initiate their plan.

"They're insane…" Bruce surmised.

He hit his speed dial for Terry. But just before the number completed, he saw that television and net signals across the city were hacked.

* * *

**A/N: If you thought this was an "Uh-Oh" moment. Just you wait.**

**Next Chapter: "Gotham Will Die"**

**At long last, King and Shriek announce what their plans on our for the city.**


	9. Chapter 8: Gotham Will Die

**Chapter 8: "Gotham Will Die"**

Terry was sitting his arms around Max while she worked on her laptop. They were both looking at her screen when the feed was disrupted.

"Oooookay…" Max said, bewildered.

Terry wasn't sure what it was but something, immediately, told him that something was going on. He turned on the television to see nothing but static on every channel. A confirmation of his suspicions, to say the least.

He stood up and walked toward the screen, staring at it intently.

Max kneeled on her couch and looked out of the window. Her eyes went wide. "Terry…" she managed to breathe out in fear.

He looked out of the window and saw, in distance, that the news billboards and even a few standard ones had lost their transmissions as well.

"It's them…" he whispered. "They're doing this."

She looked at him, "How do…" She stopped. Stupid question. "But for what?"

He went back to looking at the television in the apartment. "I'm pretty sure they're gonna tell us… and we're not gonna like it."

* * *

Bruce turned the news on to the main screen of the computer to wait for what was coming next. Because he knew something was coming.

He'd been in this game way too long to not recognize the clear signs.

The signs of a clear and present danger.

* * *

Commissioner Gordon was in her office with her officers and consultants, watching the same static. Just as Bruce and Terry, she knew trouble when she saw it, even when no one else did.

"Get every cop on the street now," she ordered.

"Ma'am?" Dave asked.

"You heard me! Everyone! Off duty, on duty, I don't care! Get them on the street now and tell them to wear riot gear! Tell them to get ready to move as many people to safety as they can!"

"But s-safety from what?"

She stared at the screen. "We're about to find out."

* * *

The static lasted for a few more minutes before the vague, distorted images of King and Shriek came in to view.

"_People of Gotham, good evening,_" the white clad royalty villain greeted. "_I am King._"

The professor of sound stepped into the shot. "_And I am Shriek._"

"_You may remember us as men that Batman has defeated in the past but those days… are long over._"

"_As are the days of this city._"

"_Quite. You see… we realized that Batman isn't the problem, not really, so much as you… all of you are… Gotham City._"

"_And we have a plan to do something about that. At precisely 2 AM tonight, we will unleash a grand… a magnificent sound wave that will reduce Gotham… to rubble._"

"_And, now, at this panicked, frightening moment, you may be asking what can you do? What do we want in exchange? The answer is simple._"

Shriek chuckled. "_Nothing._"

"_You see, right now, you precious officials think something in your city will sate so we can spare you all form this far. But they are mistaken. Even your police think they can protect you but they are also mistaken._ _You, Gotham, having absolutely nothing to offer us. We can acquire money and power anywhere._"

"_We don't want Batman. Not as ransom, anyway. He'll stupidly try to stop us and we look forward to him trying. Since we will kill him as he does._"

"_And if you are listening, Batman, and…_" King chuckled, "_let's be honest, of course you are._"

"_Bring it on._"

"_At least, try to put forth an effort, anyway. There will be no joy to be had in killing you if you don't struggle. That's why we're giving you the four hours._"

"_Come and stop us… if you can._"

"_Yes. Try and be the noble hero._"

"_It won't end like it has in past. I promise you that. No one walks away from this, Batman, especially not you._"

King sighed. "_Back to our original audience, Gotham… to sum up, we want nothing from you… but we will TAKE everything from you._"

"_Call your loved ones, huddle with your families, you can even try to flee the city._" Shriek rushed to the front of screen. "_IT WON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE!_"

King came back into view. "_Do what you will, citizens. It will avail you nothing._ _In 4 hours… Gotham. Will. Die._"

The transmission cut.

And panic took to the streets.

* * *

**A/N: O_O I KNOW, RIGHT?!**

**Also, I know this chapter was short but it accomplished exactly what it was meant to do. And, I have written one-shots shorter than this.**

**Next Chapter: City in Crisis**

**With their intentions for his home made painfully clear, Terry prepares to go after his adversaries. Bruce, Max, and Gordon are also dealing with the fallout from the declaration and all prepare for the worse.  
**

**Don't miss this!**


	10. Chapter 9: City in Crisis

**A/N: Happy Day After Valentine's Day, everyone. As I call Vally Day, Single Awareness Day. I hope you guys had a great one. But, whether you did or did not, I hope this makes your day a little bit brighter!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9: City in Crisis**

The screen was still static. The usual programming hadn't returned yet.

Terry just stared at the screen. He couldn't believe it. He knew the two villains had a grudge but he didn't imagine anything like this. If anything, he thought they would hold the city for ransom; their price being Batman, just like before. But this. This was something was way beyond that.

They were going to destroy Gotham. They meant it. He could already hear it starting outside: the fear. The city was already freaking out. Panic had already taken over. Only comparable to the panic going inside the mind of his girlfriend.

He looked at Max.

She slowly shook her head, "No…"

His phone rang. He knew it was Bruce. He hit the ignore button. He pretty much knew what his mentor had to say. He looked at his girlfriend. "Max…"

"No. No! Alright? No!" She ran to the front door and stood in front of it in protest. "You're not going anywhere! Not like this! We're going to figure something else out! We need a plan here!"

He looked at her and knew that he had to keep calm. If he got upset or emotional, she would get worse. He kept his composure. "I have to go."

"No, you don't! Not like this!"

He walked up to her, "I have to, Max."

"Terry, don't! You need some back-up on this!"

"There isn't any back-up. Besides…" Instantly, Tai Ji entered the hero's mind. "I already tried that. I'm not gonna do it again. This is my fight."

"They just want to kill you! That's it!"

He lightly gripped her shoulders and led her over to the couch, she protested all the while.

"You know they do! That's all this is about!"

He sat her down, kneeling in front of her. "It's about Gotham, too, Max. They'll level the whole city if I don't try to stop them. That's millions of people."

Max fell quiet. The gravity of it all was coming to her. But she couldn't ignore the biggest heartache. "But… if you go… I'll lose you…"

"I have to stop them."

"But… you can't! They already killed Tai Ji! They'll…"

"Max." He looked her in the eyes, "You know better."

"But…" she stopped. She did know better. If anyone did, she did. In a lot of ways, that's why they worked as a couple. She knew all he had to do and understood it; that's why they worked. Deep down, she always knew a day like this would come. And she said she'd be ready for it. She didn't lie; she thought she would be. But she isn't. With the day finally here, she can confidently say that she isn't ready for this. Not to lose him. She bowed her head in sorrow.

He hated it that this was happening. But he always imagined a situation would come up where everything would be on the line and he could possibly lose his life in an attempt to save it all. And it was no truer than this time that it could possibly happen. But that wasn't going to stop him, either. He had a job to do. "I have to. This is why I'm here. This is why I do this."

She didn't look up at him.

"I have to do this, Max. I gotta stop them. I'm sorry." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, stood up, and started to walk away. He had to go after those villains and save Gotham. Where they even were was going to be hard enough to figure…

"I love you."

As quiet as Max spoke those words, they echoed like a cannon going off not an inch from them. Time stopped in that room. They'd been together for four months and any fears that their relationship was just a reaction to their teenage hormones and the circumstances surrounding their getting together in the first place disappeared after the first month. Terry knew he was feeling that way for Max but, out of fear, he couldn't say it first, especially if she didn't feel that way about him.

But there it was.

He turned and looked at her.

She looked up and stared straight into his eyes, tears falling from hers. "I love you, Terry."

He went back over to her, knelt down in front of her, and hugged her. She hugged him back, her face buried against his shoulder.

With what was coming, he was able to speak these words, boldly and truthfully. "I love you, too," he whispered.

She gasped.

He said it back.

He was able to say it back. Easily. She gripped him harder, hugging him like she'd never see him again.

She was scared that was the case.

Terry had never said those words to any girl, not even Dana. But Max definitely was not like any girl. And he does love her… totally and completely.

Just one more reason Shriek and King had to be stopped. Perhaps the most important.

Not wanting to but knowing he had to, he broke the embrace. He looked her in the eyes, "I love you, Max. I don't care what happens next… I need you to always know and remember that."

She couldn't speak. She knew, the second she would, she would burst into tears. Her lips were quivering already.

He kissed her. They both took a deep breath during the embrace.

Terry stood up, their eyes were locked on to one another the entire time. "I need you to go Wayne's. I still have time before 2 but go there, just in case. Chances are… the manor is far enough of the way that it won't get hit by the attack. Okay?"

Max nodded.

He sighed. Using every bit of willpower he had, he turned and headed out the door.

Once he closed the door, he heard Max weeping. He'd never heard her cry so hard before… not even when Curare almost killed her. It brought tears to his eyes. He wanted to go back. So badly, he wanted to go back. He wanted to comfort her, tell her everything was going to be okay.

But he couldn't.

If his enemies succeeded, then nothing would be okay: all of Gotham would be destroyed, millions would die… including Max, his mother, and his brother. He couldn't let that happen and he wasn't going to allow that to happen.

Steeling himself, he walked away from Max's front door.

He got to his bike, put on his helmet, and sped off to the Batmobile and change into his uniform.

He called Bruce. When he picked up, Terry said, "I'm gonna call my mom and I'm telling her and Matty to go to the mansion. Max is going there, too. Keep it unlocked."

"_Fine._"

"Do you have a location?"

"_Almost._"

"Send it to me."

"_Got it._" Bruce paused. "_Be careful._"

"Right…" Terry hung up and sighed. This was incredibly hard for him; it was first Shriek city scare all over again. But he had to do what he had to do. He wanted to go get his family and Max to Wayne Manor but he had to go. If he put forth his effort into getting to them, he would waste valuable time he could use saving the city. As harsh as it sounded, he really couldn't spare the time to get everyone else. All he could do was make sure they were in the safest place he could think of while he faced the dangers they were facing. Like he told Max, this is why he did this and he had to do this.

He shook his head. He had to stop thinking about this and get his head in the game.

It was time to stop being Terry and start being Batman.

He had a mission.

King and Shriek were waiting and they had to be stopped.

* * *

After the call, Bruce sat back and rubbed his forehead. This was too much. He knew that this was coming. All this just seemed different from the beginning and their declaration now had confirmed that. Shriek and King had gone completely mad and they had to be stopped. But, if they were this focused on their goal and everything they had done so far screamed that they were, they wouldn't hold back against Terry.

He would need help.

Bruce looked through the cave and saw something he knew, good and well, he should never use again. But he was going to. A part of him believed Terry could do this alone but another part of him didn't want the kid to go through this by himself, not when these two maniacs went further than they ever had before. He wouldn't always be around for Terry; Bruce knew that all too well. But he was here now and he could do something to make a difference.

* * *

At Gotham Police headquarters, Gordon did her best to coordinate all of her officers but there was panic spreading through the streets. And, unlike before, there was no option to stop Shriek this time. He meant it. She managed to get a moment in her office alone. The phone rang. She answered it, knowing who it was.

"It took you longer to call than I thought," she said to Bruce.

"_How are you holding up?_" Bruce asked.

"Well as can be expected. Has the kid left already?"

"_Yes. He's sending his family and girlfriend here._"

"I wish I could send the whole city there. It's the safest place in Gotham right now. Does he know how to find them?"

"_I've almost got them locked down. He'll find them before they destroy anything._"

"He's going after them alone. It'll be dangerous."

"_He can handle it._"

"It's different this time and you know it."

"_True enough. But he can handle it._"

"I know he took Tai Ji's death hard. He's lot like you in that way."

"_Yes, he is._"

"And I mean a caring man."

He paused for a few seconds. "_That's a matter of opinion._"

If it wasn't for the fact that she'd known Bruce for years, even loved him once, she wouldn't be able to detect that he sounded different… but he did. "Bruce? What's wrong?"

"_You have always and will always be one of the best, Barbara. You are the best. Thank you for that._"

"Bruce?"

"_And… for anything I got wrong… to you… Tim… Dick… or Selena… even Clark and Diana… I'm sorry._"

He was apologizing. Even complimented her. Nothing about this was good.

"_Tell them all that for me. They'll believe it coming from you._"

"What?! Bruce!"

"_Goodbye._" He hung up.

"WAIT! Bruce!" Barbara looked at the phone in dread. What could Bruce be planning? Did he think he could help Terry in this? That was impossible! He had no way to…

No. There was _one_ way.

"Oh, God… no…" She just sat back down. There was nothing she could do. Unless a miracle took place, she would lose Terry, Bruce, or Gotham tonight… maybe all of the above.

What pained her was what she could do about it… nothing.

All she could really do was wait. And, for one of the few time in her life she could remember, pray.

* * *

Max was still crying on her sofa, her hand pressed to her forehead. She knew she had to get going and go to Wayne Manor but she couldn't focus on anything. She could count the number of times she'd ever cried in her whole life on one hand… and never this hard. And never over a boy.

But Terry wasn't just a boy. He wasn't a boy at all; no time more than this proved that. He is a man. Her man. The man she loves. And, in all likelihood, he was going to die tonight. It was that thought that kept her in tears.

Her phone rang. She figured it was her family calling to tell her to get out of Gotham. Maybe it was Terry wondering if she actually listened to him. She decided to pick up; the night couldn't get any worse, anyway. She answered the phone, doing her best to stop crying. "Hello?"

"_Hello, Maxine._"

"Mr. Wayne?"

There was something he wasn't used to from her. That was a tall tell sign to him she was greatly hurt. "_You always call me 'Bruce.' Don't start attempting to be formal now._"

She tried to giggle through the tears. "Sorry. Just not used to you calling."

He wasn't fooled. He could tell she was still crying and that she was going to continue the second they got off the phone. "_Are you alright?_"

She paused. "Can I be honest?"

"_Of course._"

"I'm terrified, Bruce. I'm scared to death that I'm gonna lose him tonight. Shriek and King… they don't just want him out of the way… they hate him… they want him dead… even if he saves the city… they'll do whatever it takes just to… just to kill him… and… I can't take that… I can't bear the thought of losing him because…" She paused. She didn't know why she was admitting this, probably the emotion of the situation. She didn't even think Bruce would care but she couldn't stop it from coming out either. She hated this feeling but she couldn't stop it, either. "I know you don't like me… don't approve me… but… I love Terry… I don't want to see him hurt. Or… or…" She couldn't say it. Not again. That would've made it far too real.

"_Max, listen to me: in no way, do I not like you or approve of you. It's just not true. My not wanting you in this life has nothing to do with you as a person. I don't want you in this life because it takes more from you than you realize._"

She sniffed. After hearing Terry's stories and more about his father, she realized that there was far more to it for him and Bruce that just the cowl and the action. It had to do with one's soul and the pain of the person who took on the responsibility. "I… I get that now."

"_I know you do._"

She paused. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"_Yes. With that in mind, can you do me a favor and give him a message for me?_"

That left her confused. "Umm, sure?"

"_Tell him I have always been proud of him and always will be._"

As cryptic as that was, Max knew that meant something bad. "Bruce what do…"

"_Take care of him, Max. I don't know if he said it or if I should even be telling you this… but he loves you, as well. I can tell. That's why he's going after them… and that's why I am, too._"

She was shocked. "WHAT?! Bruce?!"

"_Goodbye, Max._" He hung up.

"WAIT! BRUCE!"

She hung her phone up and just sat confused. She stood up and started pacing. She knew Bruce was about to go do something stupid, which was usually what she did. She couldn't let him do whatever he was about to do on his own, though. Of course, what could she do? She didn't know. But she couldn't just stand by to watch the man she loved and his mentor walk into war and do nothing about it. She had to find them and try and do something.

* * *

Batman was steering the Batmobile through the city and could see all the havoc destroying the streets of Gotham. People were panicking trying to get out of the city or loot it, for whatever reason. There was a lot that would require his attention if he wasn't so busy trying to track his enemies. He just had to trust the police could handle it without him.

He suddenly saw a blip on his map. A location from Wayne. Right at the center of downtown. That must be where Shriek and King are.

He steered the Batmobile toward downtown and opened the throttle to full speed. It was time to finish this.

* * *

**A/N: It's on.**

**We are almost to the end of our story, my friends. I hope you are enjoying it so far.**

**Next Chapter: The Battle For Gotham City**

**Batman goes up against Shriek and King to save the city. What he doesn't know that he is not alone in defending his home.**


	11. Chapter 10: The Battle for Gotham City

**Chapter 10: The Battle for Gotham City**

Batman set the Batmobile on hover near the location Bruce sent him: the Visions of the Future building. Irony couldn't be ignored. He got out of the vehicle and scouted the area. He saw no signs of anything besides the panic of the city but he did notice that there was a small hovercraft that seemed like it was ready to takeoff but wasn't going anywhere.

That must've been how his enemies were planning to escape after destroying Gotham.

That wasn't going to happen.

He descended down from the Batmobile and landed in the center of town. It was weird to see so many people and none of them taking notice of him. He looked around, knowing he was at the exact place that Bruce sent him but he just saw the people rioting. He looked down at a manhole cover.

Underground. Of course. Shriek always was hiding in the sewers with the other rats. He entered the sewers and followed a muffled humming sound to underneath a nearby building office building. He went to an unused area of the sewer where he caught sight of the giant Sonic Shockwave. It was easily the size of two semi-trucks standing up vertical and as long as a semi as well. No wonder they needed Blackwell. They could have never gotten this thing without a crew. There were stairs that led up to a small catwalk that led to up the control panel where Batman took notice of Shriek's lackey, Ollie. He was in the right place.

The Dark Knight walked towards it, trying to figure out how he was going to shut it down. That plan, however, was put aside when he saw his two adversaries staring right at him, blocking his path to the controls. Actually, that worked out better for him: he preferred to beat them then stop their plan; though, if he could accomplish both at the same time, that would work, too.

"It took you a little longer to get here than we thought," King said. "Have trouble finding us?"

Batman said nothing. All he could see was Tai Ji's face upon his death and the two men before him who killed him. He was amazed that he was breathing regularly considering how badly he wanted to smash both of their faces in.

"Like the Sonic Shockwave?" Shriek asked. He looked up at it, "I was so proud when it was complete. I always wondered where the Agency put it. Now, that it's mine again… it's like getting back a member of my family." He looked back at the hero. "My previous device was simply going to drive the city insane, make everyone's eardrums rip apart and send them into madness." He pointed to the Shockwave. "This'll rip the city in half."

"Call it a penance," King said. "For a city that drove us to this. Had everyone, including you, just let us act as we see fit, none of this would be happening. But no. You, the police, even those common citizens with the backbone to stand up to us. All of you… you all must pay."

Batman still remained silent. He could only think of his ally and his death and how he needed to stop these monsters before the destroyed his home. He advanced, readying a batarang.

"Really?" Shriek asked. "You got nothing to say to that?"

"No threat?" King asked. "No promise of broken bones? I was so looking forward to some witty retort."

Batman growled. "RETORT THIS!" He threw the batarang at the duo; it was of the explosive variety. Once it detonated, they scattered.

King looked up just in time to see the bottom of Batman's boot hitting him in the face. The Dark Knight dove for the sound genius but Shriek blew him back with a sound blast. Batman used the extra momentum to fly off and launched a flurry of batarangs at Shriek, most of which he blow away or avoided. He hid in the darkness of the sewers and readied another batarang. He jumped from his hiding spot and threw the batarang, slashing across Shriek's shoulder, not damaging it enough to weaken the apparatus any, unfortunately. Shriek fired a sound wave but Batman dodged and tackled him. He punched him in the stomach, got them both to their feet, and elbowed him in the helmet. He kicked him away and just barely dodged a sword swing from King. He deployed a cable and wrapped up King's arms to give him a better chance. He punched the pretend royal in the gut and follow up with a headbutt. He was going to follow up but Shriek interfered again, knocking Batman against a far wall.

"He's rather obstinate," King said as Shriek freed him.

"I noticed," Shriek replied. "It's going to make killing him so much sweeter."

Batman took a few breaths to get himself gathered together. He let his mind wander for a brief second.

Tai Ji. The Black Tiger. A man of power, terror… and honor. Batman may not have trusted him but he proved himself to be one of the most honorable people he'd ever been around. He must've known that he stood no chance against these two but he fought them anyway to allow Batman to save people who had bearing his life at all.

Batman then thought about Bruce, Max, his mother, Matt, Dana, Chelsea, and everyone else in his life. Everyone these two madmen were threatening, purely out of spite. He couldn't save Tai Ji but he wasn't going to let what happened to him happen to anyone else, not while he could still stand up and fight.

* * *

Max knew she was crazy but it had never stopped her before. So, what was one more time? Tracking Terry was all too easy for her; she figured out how to keep tabs on the Batmobile after only a couple of months. That and Terry's phone number basically connected to the systems of his mode of heroic transportation. He might as well have given her a tracking device for as easy as he made it. Of course, she had never used it before, not in earnest anyway. She followed a signal trail to his location. She hoped. To make sure, she figured the Sonic Shockwave probably used a lot of power and tracked a massive power surge to where the Batmobile was located. Bingo.

She was wearing a hooded pullover, a bandanna she tied into a mask, and black leather gloves. She figured, if she was going to be stupid enough to go help Terry and Bruce, she better cover her bases and conceal her identity. She even brought along an aluminum baseball bat she retrieved her storage for obvious reasons. '_Yeah…_' she said to herself, '_I am crazy. I swear I might as well be in Arkham with all the stuff I do._'

Making it through the insanity of the city, the dark skinned teen found herself in front of the Visions of the Future building.

'_God, bad guys can be sick with their irony._'

Despite that, it was a clear sign that she was in the right place. She had a flashback to when Terry was missing and she and Bruce went looking for him. That memory made her immediately look at a sewer opening. Unfortunately, it made the most sense. She checked for the signal which confirmed her suspicion.

She groaned in disgust. "The things I do for love…" She proceeded down the sewer drain.

* * *

The Dark Knight used his rockets to take for the ceiling, dodging a sound blast. He fired a barrage of batarangs. The villains ducked and Batman dove down for King. He tackled him and pushed him into a wall. He moved quickly to get to Shriek before he had the chance to get a good shot off. Shriek did fire a few blasts that Batman managed to dodge. He jumped in the air to dive down but Shriek unleashed a wave strong enough to knock him back. He went sailing into the wall and was knocked for a little bit of a loop.

As he tried to gather himself, Shriek advanced on the young hero. "Finally got you where I want you." He aimed his gauntlet.

Batman looked up… but looked over Shriek's shoulder. What the Dark Knight saw left him in shock.

"And this time… nothing is gonna…"

A large fist from the Bat Armor punched Shriek right out of the way. King moved toward him but the Bat Armor launched a batarang from his gauntlet that knocked him away.

Batman got to his feet. He knew Bruce was in the armor. Who else could it be? Who else even knew he was here? "Tell you didn't…"

"_Had no choice,_" Bruce replied. His voice was altered through the armor. "_We have to stop them._"

Terry decided to go ahead and point out the obvious problem of Bruce's mortality rate in that contraption, "It'll…"

"_If it does… this is how I choose to end it. Never thought I'd make it to this age, anyway._"

Batman looked at his adversaries. "Let's finish this quick. I want you out of that armor in ten minutes."

"_Are you giving me orders?_"

"Yes."

Bruce admired his tenacity. "_Let's go to work, then._"

"I'll take Shriek!" He took off after the sound professor.

"_No surprise there!_" Bruce ran for King.

The teacher and student went into battle.

* * *

At the control panel of the Shockwave, Ollie was making a few last minute adjustments when he was suddenly struck right in the back of the head by an aluminum baseball bat, knocking him out.

Holding the bat, Max stepped over him, "Sorry, buddy." She looked at the controls, "But this really isn't the time for me to be nice. Not that that happens all the time, anyway." She looked at the controls and looked for a way to shut down the Shockwave. She found herself completely unable to figure out the machine, either do to her mental state or the complexity of the machine. It was like the time bomb incident all over again.

And, just like that incident, she came to a rather abrupt solution.

She looked at the bat and looked at the machine. "Oh, slag it!" She slammed the bat into the controls over and over again.

* * *

The battle between the heroes and villains ceased when they saw that the control panel for the Shockwave was starting to spark and catch fire, parts of it even starting to explode.

"What is going on?!" Shriek screamed. "Ollie! Ollie, what did you do?!" He looked and saw the hooded Max standing with the bat.

She looked away from the explosions, saw Shriek looking in her direction, and swallowed, nervously. "Oops."

Terry recognized it was her immediately and whispered, "Crazy girl…" He smiled to himself. '_No wonder I fell for her._'

Shriek stared at the girl, breathing in heaves. He didn't know who she was and, right now, he didn't care. He had his plan to end this once and for all and, just like that, he lost everything. "YOU WITCH!" He threw sound waves at his enemies and in Max's direction, causing her to fall from the catwalk.

He was going after her but Batman tackled him in time. They wrestled on the ground while Max got behind a few extra crates avoiding the exploding control panel.

Shriek saw his device was now useless and, needless to say, was livid. This another time he had Batman dead to rights and he was cheated out of his victory. He feverishly swung his claws at Batman, trying to strike him. He was going to end this, with Batman's life.

But not before he got some revenge first.

He shoulder tackled the hero again and threw him against a wall. Shriek saw that the exosuit wearer had just knocked King down so he blew a sound wave at the exosuit, taking him out of the equation for now. Shriek looked over to where Max was hiding. He blew away from of the crates and stared at her.

Batman shook off the attack and his eyes widened when he saw that his girlfriend was in trouble. He turned on his boosters and flung himself at Shriek. The sound villain knew he was coming and used his sound to blow him away. The Dark Knight landed on the ground with a thud. Shriek gave another blast that forced Batman against a few more crates, dazing him. Shriek blasted the roof above, partially burying the Gotham Knight under some rubble; it wasn't enough to hurt Batman or trap him completely but mobility did become an issue. The sound villain looked back to see Max was trying to hide elsewhere but he fired again to cut off her path and corner against a wall.

"I don't know who you are," Shriek said. "And, frankly, I don't care." He picked her up and aimed the claws of his gauntlet at her, "but you shouldn't have gotten in our way."

"SHRIEK, NO!" Batman couldn't help but scream out.

Shriek whipped his body around to face his nemesis, pulling Max along, as well. "A friend of yours, Batman?" He looked at her, "That fits. I'd ask who she is… if I even cared. People tend not to matter once their dead."

Batman growled and started to make his way out of the rubble. He had to save Max.

"STOP!"

The hero paused.

"You wanna save her? She already destroyed my machine. I can't even wreck Gotham like I wanted to now." He looked at her then shook her hard one time, "Maybe I should get, at least, one death in tonight!"

Max let out a yelp at his force. She hated crying so she didn't let herself. But, the more time ticked by, the closer she was starting not care how she looked with a few tears.

"But you wanna save her, I can tell. That's your gimmick, after all. So, I'll make you a deal: let me kill you… and she goes free."

Choices like this were what Terry was always would happen to him someday and a small amount could be direr than this one. Live and let Max die or die and save her life. Terry imagined that if he let Shriek finish him that would, at least, leave Bruce to save his girlfriend. The Dark Knight looked at the machine. It was definitely out of commission and that was the reason he came here, primarily. He could die knowing that his city was still standing. These criminals would get it from another hero. If no one else, the Justice League would take them down. He was confident in that.

Batman just sighed. He partially worked his way out of the rubble. "You win, Shriek. Let her go… and I'll let you finish me."

Shriek smiled. Perfect. "No."

Batman gritted his teeth. He wasn't all that surprised.

"Now, I know how much this girl means to you… making her death all the sweeter."

"Don't!"

Max found it hard to breathe. She knew what was coming. But as scared as she was, she didn't have any regrets. Shriek would get her but Terry would get him and Gotham would still be safe. Even if it meant she had to leave him, she didn't regret a thing. When it came to him, she realize, she never really did.

"Shriek, don't do this!"

"A shame, eh, Bats?" He slowly activated his sound gauntlet. "Someone else is going to die… all because you couldn't save them."

* * *

**A/N: ...**

**Next Chapter: "We are all Monsters"**

**The battle for Gotham City will come to an end but not before one more life will be taken in this war. Who will it be? Who will live? Who will die? Who will win? Who will be left standing?**

**Don't miss this...**


	12. Chapter 11: We are all Monsters

**Chapter 11: "We are all Monsters"**

Batman could only look in horror as Shriek prepared to end Max's life. They both were near tears at this while Terry kept fighting to get from of the rubble to save her but he knew he wouldn't be fast enough. Shriek was inching his claws and closer and closer to Max. Terry was going to lose his girlfriend, forever. All because he couldn't save her. Max knew she would never again get to be with Terry and tell him how much she loved her. She had the solace of knowing that she had the good sense to say it, at least, once.

Terry knew. That was all that mattered to her. But it wasn't enough for him. He couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever, and certainly not like this. He had to save her. He had to get free. He had to try.

"Say good-bye, Batman," Shriek sneered.

Batman struggled to get free to save his girlfriend. He was the only who could.

Or so he thought.

But Terry and Max both forgot something.

They weren't alone.

Bruce shook off his shock and saw Max was Shriek's claws when he came to. As quietly as he could, he got to his feet, struggling as he did so; he was starting to reach his limit with the suit but he had to hang on a little while longer. He couldn't fail Terry and he wasn't going to fail Max. If he had one chance to save these kids, then that was all he needed. He activated his boosters and tackled Shriek, forcing him to free Max. They both crashed near the base of the machine as Batman got free of the rubble.

The young hero ran over and grabbed Max in a hug, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"You are so insane!"

"I know!"

They both ducked down when they heard Shriek used a sound wave to blow the Armor back. Batman looked up to see that the last blast had nearly done Bruce in and he was already on shaky legs, at best.

"GO!" Batman yelled at Max as he moved her away. He flew at Shriek and tackled him, punching him in the gut to temporarily put him on the ground. He looked and saw King was starting to recover and aim his sword at the Armor. The aluminum baseball bat came out of nowhere and clocked him right in the side of the face, sending him to the floor. The Batmen looked and saw Max was the culprit.

Bruce chuckled to himself. '_Not bad._'

Batman looked at his mentor. "You've done all you can do! Get outta here! I can take it from here!" He pointed at Max, "Get her and go!"

Bruce nodded. He got up, jogged over to Max, and offered his hand to her.

"It's you… isn't it?" she asked. She knew better than to just blurt out his name.

"_Yes,_" he replied. "_Thank you._"

She was shocked to hear a 'thank you' but decided to roll with it for now. "No problem."

"_Terrible disguise, by the way._"

She hopped into the arms of the armor. "Sorry I don't dress up as well as you. But, at least, no one recognized me."

He started to run out of the tunnel, "_He did._" He was, of course, referring to Terry.

"He better recognize me in a sorry excuse for a disguise like this." She looked over boyfriend's mentor's armor. She remembered what Terry told her about the last time he used it. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"_I should be able to get us to the surface. From there… we'll see._"

"Just…"

"_You just hang on,_" He activated the rockets and they flew out of the sewer chamber, "_Let me worry about the consequences._"

* * *

Batman made sure his family was out of sight before he went back to work against his foes. With the Shockwave down, he had a better chance now to finish this. He guessed King was on his last legs, he was the easy fight. Skilled though he may be, King wasn't one for distance fights, probably due to advanced age and that he wasn't used to anyone putting up as much of a fight. As always, Shriek was the more difficult struggle.

On cue, the sound villain got to his feet.

"Just thrown in the towel, Shriek," Batman said. "It's over."

"Is it?" Shriek asked.

Batman was surprised to hear that Shriek didn't sound as angry as the Dark Knight thought he would be. "You know it is! Your machine is done and so are you."

King started to get to his feet behind Batman.

Shriek smirked. "You're right about someone being done, Batman." He aimed his gauntlet at the Dark Knight.

Batman got ready to move. He already had his battle plan well in mind. He just needed Shriek to fire at him and he had him.

Shriek knew that Batman probably had a plan in mind. But, then again, so did he. A fool proof plan that the hero would never see coming. It was guaranteed to leave the Gotham knight stunned and would give Shriek some definite satisfaction tonight.

He took aim and prepared to fire.

Batman could see the sound villain's trigger finger twitching.

Shriek smirked underneath his helmet then swiftly aimed at King and fired a blast so powerful that Batman was knocked away from perimeter of the attack. Batman slammed against the ground and looked to see King look like he was hit by a train of sound.

King flew against the wall and fell to his knees. Batman was stunned, not by the attack but by the action.

King looked up, beginning to cough from not being able to breathe normally. "Wh…why?"

"Think it over on the other side," Shriek mused. He fired again, an even more powerful blast this time.

King was sent against the wall again, almost going through it. He stayed there, pinned against it for a second, before his body weight dislodged him. But he didn't feel himself hit the ground. He was dead the second the sound hit him. The former leader of the Royal Flush Gang was gone.

"NO!" Batman shouted.

Shriek looked at Batman. He laughed.

Batman just stared at King's corpse as Shriek's laughter continued on. He couldn't believe it. King is dead. Shriek just killed his own partner. In a sick way, their plan made sense. Heck, he even understood their evil behind killing Tai Ji but this. This was way too much. It didn't make any sense at all; no rhyme or reason to it.

Batman got to his feet and shook his head. He looked over at Shriek and could only utter one thing: "Why?"

Shriek just laughed. "No one was supposed to live through this, Batman. Not you, not me, not Gotham, and certainly not King. If I can't kill Gotham, I gotta take someone out who was meant to die tonight."

Terry felt like his head was going to explode to comprehend this evil. "Why'd you even bring him into this?!"

"I needed someone to help me level the playing field against you. I didn't think you had a little infantry. He thought we'd turn on the machine and leave and let Gotham crumble to the ground. I, even, let him believe that the whole time. But this was my plan." He laughed, "It was always _my_ plan. He was dead to me the second I broke him out of Blackgate."

Batman squinted his eyes at him. He still couldn't fathom this. "What kind of monster are you?"

Shriek chuckled. "Are you serious?" He laughed. "We are all monsters. All of us, Batman. You, me, King, that guy in the armor, anyone who you have taken down, all of us. All of us in this game. There is not _one_ of us who isn't a monster."

Batman just stared at him as Shriek's insanity was starting to become clear. "You've really lost it, haven't you?"

"Don't act so high and mighty, Batman. You know good and well you would've killed King someday." He chuckled. "That's why we're monsters. Now…" He spread his arms out, "come on."

Batman raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to kill me. I mean… I killed King… Tai Ji… and I nearly killed your little friend. So, to stop me… you _have_ to do it. Because we both know… if you put me away again… I'll get out again. And we will do this dance… all. Over. Again."

Batman just stared at him. He knew he had a point. He could arrest him, lock him down, throw him in the darkest hole on Earth, but he'd somehow get out. He'd always get out. How much easier would his life be if he was gone? Answer: infinitely.

"That's it! I can hear the little pinwheels of your mind turning. You hate me… despise me… and you're going to kill me… or at least try. So, come on."

Batman did nothing.

"Come on."

Still, the Dark Knight just stood staring at him.

He started shaking in anger. "COME ON!"

Batman finally broke his silence, "I do hate you, Shriek. I hate everything about you. I can't stand the sight of you. I can't stand what you've done… to this city… what you did to Tai Ji… you even killed your own partner." He sighed. "So, yeah, you're right: I hate you."

Shriek smiled under his helmet. He had Batman right where he…

"But I'm bringing you in." The Dark Knight stood tall.

Shriek's smile and feeling of victory wavered… no… it was destroyed. "What?"

Batman smirked. "Your helmet's still on. You're supposed to be able to hear."

"Why?! Whywhywhywhywhywhy?! WHY?!"

"Because you're wrong. We all might be monsters… but not all monsters are the same."

"No… no, no, NO! You're supposed to kill me, you fool!"

"Sorry. Not my policy. You lose."

"No… NO, YOU LOSE!"

He charged at Batman, swinging at him with everything he had. He was very erratic with his fighting style this time around. Batman found it to be nothing but predictable. This was an easy Shriek to beat; he let him swing himself silly for a few minutes before getting a few punches in. Shriek tried to mount a counterattack but he wasn't thinking clearly. He wasn't even using his sound blasters. He just kept swinging like the madman he had become. Batman got a hold of one of Shriek's arms and threw him against far wall.

Shriek grumbled, shaking violently with anger. He looked up at the Dark Knight and screamed a primal scream. He hit a hidden button on his suit, causing a huge explosion. "IF YOU WON'T KILL ME, BATMAN, THEN WE BOTH DIE!"

The explosion rocked the tunnels. Batman looked back at the way where Bruce and Max had escaped and prayed they weren't caught in that explosion. He looked at Shriek.

"WE DIE TOGETHER, BATMAN! GOTHAM IS OUR GRAVE!"

"You dug your own grave," Batman replied. He swiftly threw a charged batarang at Shriek and it connected, lodging deep in the hand of his suit.

Shriek screamed in pain, Batman used his rockets and tackled him into the wall. He grabbed Shriek's helmet and slammed it as hard as he could against the wall. He stepped back and saw Shriek was out.

"But you're going to prison." He took off the madman's armor and tossed it aside before picking the sound villain up. He boosted up and grabbed Ollie, packing him under his arm. Batman looked down at King's fallen body. He didn't know why but he didn't have it in him to leave his body in this place. He was reasonably sure he could carry him, too.

* * *

The explosion rocked the street where the cops had gathered. Gordon looked in shock as the abandoned Fields building detonated and sank into the ground. With 2AM still a little bit off, the sight of the building falling must've meant that Gotham's Dark Knight had succeeded. After all, who else would win a fight and collapse a building at the same time? She looked around for any sign of Batman but saw none.

"Come on, kid…" she whispered. She hoped that the kid saved the city but not at the cost of his own life. She'd never say it but that was her greatest fear when it came to Terry being Batman.

Another explosion went off and she saw something fly into the air. It wasn't any debris because it was going straight up. She smiled when she saw wings. Batman.

He descended down and landed in front of her, unpacking his cargo.

"Is it over?" she asked the teen hero.

He stood up and exhaled. "Yeah…"

She looked down and saw none of the three men were moving. "Are they…"

"Just King." He felt the need to defend himself. "It was Shriek."

"Kid… I know better," she assured. "I know who trained you. More to the point… I know you."

He nodded. "Thanks, Commish."

Gordon became melancholy. "He called me." She was referring to Bruce. "Was he…"

"Yeah. He used the armor."

Gordon became wide eyed. "Where…"

"I don't know." He shook his head. "She…" meaning Max, "was here, too." He looked back at the devastated building, "I told them to get out. But I don't know if…" He couldn't even think about it. "I don't know where they… or if they even…"

"_Stop being so dramatic,_" Bruce's voice came over the com. "_We're down the street near the Batmobile if you'd hurry up. I wanna go home._"

Terry smiled. He chuckled in relief. "He's just fine."

Gordon smiled in joy and relief. "You better get going then. He gets pretty strict about curfew."

"Preaching to the choir."

"_Sure, that reference you get,_" Bruce remarked.

"Have a good night, Commissioner."

"Right back at you, kid," Gordon replied.

Batman flew off. He got to the Batmobile to see Bruce sitting inside of it with Max making sure he was okay. The armor was open next to the Dark Knight's vehicle; Terry was very thankful Bruce was still alive. The second he landed, Max looked at him and smiled. She looked at Bruce to make sure he was okay. He just smirked and waved her on.

She ran at her boyfriend and hugged him with all the force she had. He returned the favor, though he made sure not to hurt her.

They released the embrace. He pulled his mask back and he looked at her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

He chuckled in relief. "You're crazy. You know that, right?"

"Duh," she smiled, a tear in her eye.

Bruce grunted. "That's what I told her."

They walked over to his mentor. "Are you okay?" Terry asked.

The old man shrugged. "Felt better… but felt worse, too."

"No surprise there."

"By the way," Bruce looked at Max, "what were you doing here?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I couldn't stop myself. After your phone call… I just had to help… I had to…" She sighed. "I could tell you were going to do something… and if I could help… I had to try."

Bruce kept staring at her. He couldn't help but admire that a little. She really did remind him of Barbara. "Terry, your girlfriend…" He looked at his apprentice. "Good choice."

Words neither of them thought they'd _ever_ hear but they were grateful all the same. The three looked over the city; maybe it was a little broken but it was still standing, just like its protectors. They took a moment to enjoy this. Not necessarily the victory but the fact that they were still here. It was quite the thing to celebrate right now and they were going to take every second they could to enjoy it.

* * *

**A/N: VICTORY! WE HAVE VICTORY!**

**We have one more chapter and the Epilogue, my friends. Thank you all so much for following me through this journey. I am so proud of this one and the response it has garnered. It has made me smile so much to see all the reviews pour in! Thank you all so much!**

**Next Chapter: Aftershock**

**The fallout from Shriek and King's plan are still felt even after the war is over. This will lead to heart to heart talks and a surprise guest that will change things forever.**

**You can't miss this one!**


	13. Chapter 12: Aftershock

**Chapter 12: Aftershock**

Terry walked through downtown alone, taking note of all of the damage and destruction from the riots brought on by the panic of Shriek and King's threat. Still, Gotham's resilience shined through as the city quickly started to rebuild itself. Interesting since everything happened not even a full 12 hours ago but the crews were already out en masse. The teen hero knew the city reconstruction was well in hand. It was the status of his relationship that left him worried; hopefully, that wasn't a ruined shambles after these events.

Of course, Max came to help him and ended up helping save the city. But it was the fear that Shriek brought into her that made him very worried, not to mention her reaction to the villains' declaration for the city. This life could be too much for him at times but, to see that fear in Max's eyes when the madman had his claws on her, it made him wonder if she wanted to keep putting herself in these situations. That was almost too much for him. He knew for a fact that his own heart stopped more than once when he saw Max in so much danger. He could hope she would never get in a situation like that again but, this was Max, he knew better.

Terry wanted to stay with Max. He loves her but he wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with kind of emotional toll. Even it wasn't every night, once a year of a night like that could be too much. It was just one more reason he never told Dana about his life. But he knew Max could take it.

Right?

He really hoped so but decided to leave this decision up to her. And, whatever he decided, he would honor it and respect it. And he could handle it. He hoped.

Terry went to Max's apartment. He stopped at the door, recalling all they had to deal with and mentally preparing himself for everything that had to be said and for what could be said in response. When he was ready, he knocked on Max's door. She opened it and saw him standing there.

"Hey, Ma-mmm!"

He was interrupted by Max kissing him, immediately. She pulled him inside, kissing him all the while, even closing the door. They broke the kiss when they needed to catch their breath.

Max stared at Terry, really wanting to kiss him some more. But she thought it better to talk. "Sorry."

"Don't be!" Terry said, "I just… wow! Where'd that come from?"

"I thought you were gonna die last night…" Her eyes fell down to his chest as she whispered, "that we both might…" She looked back at him, "Can ya blame me?"

"I guess not."

She could tell from his tone and body language something was bothering him. You'd think he'd able to relax since the city was still standing. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know… but… we need to talk."

She saw a red flag immediately. "That's never good."

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"What about?"

"Sit down."

Max did so and Terry started pacing. He didn't pace unless he didn't know what to do, she knew him well enough to know that. That left her worried immediately.

He paused and stopped. "I know… all of this… brought up a lot… as far as you and me go. And this life."

So, that was it. She couldn't lie; her mind had been dwelling on that little, as well. She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess it did."

"It's just…" He sighed, whispering, "…boy, this is hard…" He took another deep breath and voice came back to an audible volume, "I just… get it… if this is too much. Too hard to handle."

"What do you mean?"

"This life. Being involved in it." He stopped. "…being involved with me."

She knew what he was alluding to. But she didn't want him to think that it was necessary. "Terry…"

"I'm just being honest, Max. I don't wanna hurt you or bring any more pain on you. That's why I'm saying this. I get if you don't want to do this anymore. I do love you, Max… but I'm Batman, too. And that is who I need and want to be. I chose this life… no matter how hard it gets, I'm staying in it." He sighed. "But… I know for you… that'll be a lot of sleepless nights, worry, and headaches. I get it if you don't want to be with me because of it. Honestly, I won't blame you. I love you and I'm always going to. I'll always care for you and I will always be there for you. But, if you wanna end this now… I understand."

The heart inside this man was amazing, she thought. Just one more thing about him she found so appealing and attractive.

She let his words sink in… but only for a few seconds. She had already been thinking about all of this since last night and had already made her choice. It was why she kissed him when she opened the door. She got up, walked up to him, and kissed him again. She broke the kiss then looked him in the eye. "You're not getting off that easy."

Terry was relieved. While being completely sincere about it, he _really_ didn't want to lose her.

"Get this straight, McGinnis: I don't tell anyone, not even you, I love them unless I mean it and plan on sticking with it no matter what." She paused. "You mean too much to me. And I knew the risks of being Batman's girlfriend when this started. Some things… some _people_ are worth the risk. Worth the difficulty. But what you and the old man don't seem to get? Is that you two aren't the only ones who know that." She stared at him and smiled, "_You've_ always been worth the risk, Terry. Always."

He appreciated her words more than he could ever express. But he did think of a few. "I love you, Max."

She couldn't speak right away; hearing him say was going to have that effect for a while, she figured. "Why are so sexy when you say that?"

"I'm always sexy. That just makes me more so."

She giggled. "Jerk." She paused. "I love you, too."

* * *

Bruce wanted to get out of bed so badly this it was starting to drive him crazy. Curse his body for being so weak and frail. What happened to the days when he got his butt kicked three nights a week, lay down for an hour, and get right back up? Then again, years and years of those days were probably the exact reason for his current state.

Even though he hated being laid up, lying in his bed did give him a chance to reflect on everything tied to this particular case. Just like so many times before and perhaps even more so in the case, Terry proved himself a worthy Batman, a worthy heir, and an all-around good person. He let his mind go to how far he went to help his protégé, how far Max went to help them both, and how, in his time, he had people who went that far for him.

This led him to picking up the phone and dialing a number he honestly thought he would never dial again.

* * *

The following day, Terry and Max sat in the study of Wayne Manor, waiting for Bruce to come down. When he did, he saw Terry's backpack lying on the desk. Bruce looked at his protégé. "Problem?"

"I need to restock on batarangs. Ran out last night and it made for a long two hours. Plus, got into a few scrapes that left more than a few dents."

"You went on patrol last night?"

"You make me do it when you're not here," Terry reminded. "Besides… city is still a bit of a mess. Everyone thought it was still open season on every single store in downtown."

"He was at my place when, like, thirty robberies happened at once," Max explained. "I told him to suit up and get out there." She looked at her boyfriend, "Gotham still needs its hero."

Terry couldn't help but smile. Every time Max called him a hero, it meant something. It was just further proof that he was doing the right thing.

Bruce looked at the girl. "I thought you would talk him out of it."

"Out of what?"

"Doing this anymore."

Terry stopped and looked at his mentor, his mouth going slightly ajar. If his approval of Max was a shock, Bruce thinking that Terry would quit was a Nova Burst from Static.

"And what? Not have my boyfriend be Batman?" Max smiled. "Not a chance."

Bruce just scoffed. "Hmph! Kids."

Terry stared at his mentor in silence for a few more seconds before speaking again. "Bruce, did you really think I was walking away from all this?"

The old hero gave him a few moments of contemplation. "Honestly?"

The young man nodded.

Bruce sat down in his easy chair. "I wouldn't have blamed you."

Terry stared at him for a while. "Alright, who are you and what have you done with Bruce Wayne?"

"Clever."

"I'm halfway serious." Terry folded his arms, "Since when am I allowed to quit?"

"This life isn't for everyone, Terry. You know I've learned that the hard way."

"And I've told you before…"

"I know, I know."

"So, why?"

He looked at Max.

Terry looked at her then back at Bruce. It took him a second but he caught his meaning. "Oh, come on!"

"It's not often you get a girl who understands what you do. But that makes it all the harder. Having a good woman can make you want to quit this."

"All the more reason for me to keep going. To keep her safe."

"She could want _you_ safe. This isn't exactly a clerical job." He looked at her, "Right?"

Max took a few seconds to think before she shrugged, "Yeah, I mean… you have a point. Knowing that my boyfriend spends his nights dodging gun fire, if he's _that_ lucky, makes it a little difficult. That got proven like I never thought it would." She stopped. "But… I can't help but think about all the lives he saved last night. You both saved."

"We saved," Terry smirked, including her.

"Only 'cause I did what both of you told me not to."

"Tracking the Batmobile was an impressive move, by the way," Bruce pointed out. "Do not make a habit of that."

"Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout," Terry said.

"Shut up!"

"You were about to make a point," Bruce said to Max, stopping any possible cutesy couple moments.

The pink haired teen smiled. "My point is… I do care about Terry." She looked at him, "He means the world to me."

Terry smiled.

She looked back at the first Batman, "But I get why he has to do this. He's a hero. The city would've been wrecked if it wasn't for him. I may have helped out but he would've found a way. He always does." She shrugged, "Yes, I'm gonna worry. I get that. But… he has to do this. Live this life. I get that. I always did but… I get it even more now. And I'm gonna stick with him, no matter what."

Bruce just stared at her, surprise not showing on his face. "What kind of girl are you?"

Terry moved toward her and put his arm around her waist, "One of a kind. And mine."

Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Max said, "he needs to keep being a hero for the next time I do something stupid."

Bruce stared at her, dryly. "Please, don't make a habit of that, either."

She smiled. "I only promise to try."

"That does not make me feel better."

"Ditto," Terry agreed.

Max swatted his chest.

The doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Terry asked.

Bruce paused. He arrived earlier than he thought he would. "The person it should be."

"Huh?"

"Should I go get it?" Max asked.

"No. He did that as a formality. He knows where the hidden key is."

Terry stared at Bruce, confused. "There's a hidden key?"

Bruce scowled at him.

"What?"

A few seconds later, in walked a tall man who had greying long hair tied into a ponytail. Still, as old as this man seemed, early-to-mid 60s, he seemed to be in amazing shape. But it was his eyes… his eyes told Terry and Max that this was someone strong.

"I love how all of Gotham needs to nearly fall apart for you to call me," the man greeted.

"But I did call," Bruce pointed out. "You got here faster than I thought you would."

"Traffic in from Blüdhaven was light," the man replied. "Looking at the city, that wasn't a surprise. Besides, you _called_. I never thought the ID from this place would appear on my phone ever again. I hurried in case you changed your mind about wanting to talk." He looked around, "Place looks exactly the same."

"Why change what isn't broken?"

The man paused. "And you?" He looked at Bruce. "Have you changed?"

A pertinent question if Bruce ever heard one but he smirked, "I called."

His guest smiled. "Yes, you did." He looked at Terry, "This the kid?"

"Yep."

He looked the McGinnis lad over, "Not bad. You work him hard, I see." He looked at Max. "Barb's replacement?"

"She wishes but no. His girlfriend."

He looked at the first Batman surprised. "You were always against that."

"I did mention things changing. Besides… she's proven herself."

He looked back at Max then at Bruce again. "She knows?"

"She knows."

"She must have proven herself for you to let her in… and stay." He looked at the confused teens. "Oh, I'm sorry. Very rude of me. Alfred would've smacked me for being so discourteous."

'_Alfred?_' Terry thought.

'_This guy knew Alfred?_' Max thought.

The man gave a warm smile, extended his hand, and spoke his name, "Richard Grayson. But you can call me Dick."

Terry's eyes went wide. He looked at Bruce who nodded, confirming that he was, indeed, who he said he was.

The young Batman became star struck as he shook hands with the first Robin, "T… Terry… Terry McGinnis…"

"It's an honor, Terry." He looked at Max and held his hand out, "And you are?"

Max was just as thunderstruck as her boyfriend. She knew this was the first Robin and Nightwing. She looked at his hand and grabbed hold of it. "I'm… I'm…" She looked at her boyfriend, "Terry, what the heck is my name?"

"How should I know? I'm lucky I remembered mine!"

"Maxine," Bruce said.

"Right!" Max shouted. "Max! I'm Max Gibson!"

Dick laughed. "Delighted to meet you, as well." He looked at the couple, "I like them."

"You would."

Terry looked at the two. He couldn't even begin to imagine how this conversation would go but he knew that it needed to happen and he and his girlfriend didn't need to be here. "Well… we'll leave you two to talk."

"Leave the suit," Bruce instructed. "I'll work on it. Get some rest."

"Thanks…" The young man looked at the first Robin, "It's an honor to meet you."

"Same to you, Terry," Dick said. "I have feeling we will be seeing more of each other in the future."

"Here's hoping."

Dick looked at Max and nodded, "Nice meeting you, too."

"Thanks," Max said. "Same to you."

Terry and Max waved goodbye to Bruce then left while the first Dark Knight grabbed the suit and headed toward the door to the cave.

Dick watched them leave with an approving smile on his face. He looked at Bruce and complimented, "You picked a good one."

"He does everything right that I didn't…" Bruce shook his head, "like it's nothing at all."

Dick scoffed. "You could've done it, too. You just didn't let yourself."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I got set in my ways so long I got into a bit of a rut."

"For thirty-plus years?"

"It was a good rut."

"It'd have to be. Seems like you got yourself out of the mud a little."

"Maybe I did. I still might need a little bit more pushing to get out me out completely, though."

"Is that even possible for you?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." He opened the door to the cave, looked at his former sidekick, and smiled, "Care to come talk about it?"

"You are really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I am."

Dick smiled. "I guess it's about time." The original dynamic duo descended down into the Batcave for a long overdue meeting.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, to be a fly on that wall, right?**

**Well, guys, we are almost to the end. Just the Epilogue is left. I hope you guys are enjoying everything!**

**Final Chapter: Epilogue**

**Who has funerals for their former enemies? Clearly, Bruce and Terry do. The Batmen hold a private ceremony to honor Tai Ji and discuss the possibilities of the future.**


	14. Epilogue

**A/N: Enjoy!**

* * *

**Epilogue**

Who has funerals for their former enemies? Clearly, Bruce and Terry do.

They didn't have a large ceremony or anything ridiculous. What would be the point anyway? They simply demanded Tai Ji's body from Bennett, again playing dirty, and decided to have the ceremony themselves. They stood in the graveyard looking at the jet black casket.

"Really is different when they change… isn't it?" Terry asked.

Bruce grunted in agreement.

"Anything like this ever happen to you?"

"On occasion. And, as strange as this might sound, those are the ones that make this worth it."

Terry partially figured out why but he needed to hear those reasons from his mentor. "How do you mean?"

Bruce looked at him then at the casket. "Tai Ji was focused on revenge. He didn't care who got in his way. You fought him, you beat him, and, even when he tried to kill himself, you spared him. You even got justice for his family. It tells that it's not just all one long pointless fight."

Terry smirked. "Yeah, you got that right." He paused. "Are you still going to Blüdhaven?"

"Yes. Me and Dick have a few things to talk about."

"About thirty years overdue."

"Don't remind me."

"Just glad it's happening."

Bruce smirked, "You know? So am I."

"That's actually a surprise." He stared at him, "How long are you gonna be gone?"

"Like you said, it's been thirty years." He nodded, "I'm going to take all the time I need."

"Good to hear it. I think you need to do this."

"Me, too." Bruce stared at the casket then back at Terry. "Are you gonna be okay without me? Like I said, it could be an extended stay."

"I'll be fine. I doubt the city will almost fall apart that soon."

"Here's hoping."

He looked behind him to see Max coming but to his surprise, his mother was in tow. "Heads up. Mom's here."

"You only told her a friend died, right?"

He looked at his mentor, indignantly. "No. I told her that he was a supervillain and I'm Batman. Of course, I only told her it was a friend!"

"Just making sure."

Mary walked up, "Hello, Mr. Wayne."

He turned and smiled at her, "Mrs. McGinnis, how are you?"

"Just fine. How are you?"

"I've been better but I've been a little worse."

"Terry told me you had a bit of a spell at your home. Are you okay?"

Bruce nodded, "Yes, Mrs. McGinnis. It was nothing. Just worried myself a little about the situation with those two insane men threatening Gotham and didn't realize how badly until I got dizzy at home. But, I assure you, I am just fine now."

"Thank goodness." She looked at the casket, "I am so sorry about your friend."

"He was at peace… in the end."

Terry didn't think of that at the time but Bruce was right.

Bruce looked at everyone, "Would any care for dinner? It would be my honor to treat you all."

"Of course," Mary said.

They all started to walk off, except for Terry.

Max stopped and looked back at him, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just…" Terry imagined Tai Ji's face. "Just need an extra minute."

Max looked at Mary and Bruce and they gave her a nod to stay with him. She walked back over to her boyfriend and wrapped herself around his arm.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked.

He looked at the casket for a few extra minutes, thinking about his former adversary and his girlfriend's question. Once he processed the latter while keeping the former firmly in his memory, he answered, honestly, "Yeah… I think I am."

She smiled.

He looked at her, "Let's get out of here."

* * *

That night, Terry looked over Gotham City, just like four months ago, Tai Ji's words were echoing in his head. He knew that Tai Ji was right: he had to keep going, he had to keep fighting. Maybe people like Shriek and King were lost causes but, if someone like Tai Ji could change, then that meant he was doing the right thing. Besides, he was keeping family safe. _All_ of his family. If for no other reason, that made it worth it. Every single time.

A siren went off in the west. He smirked, "Time to go to work."

He extended his wings and went off to continue guarding his city.

* * *

**A/N: And we have come to the end of our tale. Thank you all so much for the read and the reviews. As before, it meant the world to me. Thank you so much.**

**PROGRESS REPORT: I am so close to finishing the book, my friends, I can taste it! I will post everywhere about it when it is done and ready to be purchased!**

**As always, thanks to my constant supporters. She may get sick of it but I always have to thank Kyoko Kasshu Minamino because she inspired me with her writings to get into this genre in the first place. To Watership's Nightwish Rat, chocolate1, and shejams, you three have always been my biggest supporters and I love every review you ever write for me. Thank you! To everyone else, for every favorite, follow, and everything thank you!  
**

**Until the next time,**

**T2 Angel**

**P.S. SPOILERS! Yes. I am writing a sequel to this. It will be somewhere down the road but there will be one. And, ADDITIONAL SPOILER, Nightwing _will_ be a part of it. Until then, see you later, my friends.  
**


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